Amador ledger., 1910-12-30
THE NEW REVENUE SYSTEM.

taxation already causing much discussion
the effect will have in the increase curtailment of
for county purposes The of prop
ery will be made conformity with the order of things
and financial solons busy preparing bill to be passed
by the incoming legislature carry out the provisions of the
amendment Under the method certain classes of prop
ey such railroads. telegraph and telephone lines eec
trio light and power companies and banking copo
aons will be taxed for state purposes and the state
will have depend for support upon the raised
from these sources without any general levy upon all
able property has heretofore been the The county
governments will be maintained by levied upon the
balance of the property left after these state taxed items
eliminated is evident that this radical change in
laws will bear very unequally upon different
ties according the value of staeaxed properties within
their respective borders Some counties in which the pro-
portion of saecass property is above the average will be
adversely affected while those counties where the proportion
is below the average will be benefited by the departure
To reduce this disturbance of financial conditions mini
num- least until the system becomes fairly estab
lshed the state will make good any loss sustained by a
county for certain periodhve years understand How
the will be reimbursed for this beralty does ap
pear there is provision that the counties financially
helped by the change shall dvy up their gains for
spending period
How is Amador county likely to be affected by the
dea-adversely otherwise ?may be asked The
for and county purposes has averaged in the neghbor
hood of 81 the 500 for number of years past Of this
levy about onefh has been represented by the
It therefore follows that the county stand reduction of
oneth in its roll without suffering any loss of
revenue for local purposes That say levy of So
on the 500 an roll four-h large
present would leave practically unchanged. With
roll of between five and six million dollars under
the old regime shrnkage Of million dollars in valuation
would not disturb the county finances 1t difficult to ap
proxmaey the value of Amador county property that
will be set off for state assessment The Pacific Cas- and
Electric Companys holdings assessed for about half
million dollars The railroad and other corporation property
included in the class will easily all told bring the
total the million dollar mark But portion of this
property cassed imperative will still be retained for
county assessment How much will be held will depend
upon Legislative action defining the scope and meaning of
operative property.
being heraded throughout the that
meeting of county important point gained
for the counties by having certain portions of corporation
property included in the noperave class and therefore
assesable by the county While this action is
doubtless merely advisory the legislature in the framing
of bill the subject still, it indicates likely
between the and county authorizes the
system With the division of the corporate prop
city into Operative and imperative the first named
sessabe by the and the latter by the county, the battle
will be for each side to get much possible Of this
property included in its respective class To swell the n-
operative" column will pckngs for the county
and increased reduced tax levy for the
county The capture of recruit property for the operative
column will either enhanced income for the
reduction of for the corporations concerned This dual
authority vulnerable feature likely to give birth
considerable litigation before is definitely settled by the
courts and several years will doubtless pass the law
gets down o a smooth working basis.