The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-11
How Tax Business Could Be improved
Officials Tell Commissioner
 Their Views
Assessors, Boards of Relief and
 Others Have Ideas

oAA, di"dyS SIdQ to receive SuSgeS- tions as to improvements in the pres ent system of taxation and criticism Of existing methods and administra- t1on, has had the reward of a grist of recommendations from those who believe that there is room for inn provement. The tax commissioner has adopted the custom of giving oppor- tun1ties on the blanks on which an- nual returns are made to his office, for such suggestions from officials in towns, cities and boroughs having to do with taxation, those who have expressed their views being assessors, collectors, members of boards of re- lief and selectmen.
 The suggestions have to do with changes in the laws relating to assess ment of taxes, additional sources and forms of taxation, changes in the laws relative to the board of relief, work of the assessors with view to obvia ting wide inequalities in lists, difficulties in filling the office of as sessor and carrying out the literal provisions of the statutes. difficulties of boards of relief in carrying out the literal requirements of the stat utes, difficulties in filling the office of collector, together with suggestions for changes in laws relative to col lection of taxes and duties of collec- tor.
 The ideas advanced by the men hav- ing to administer the laws relating to taxation contain some valuable suggestions, which are worthy of the consideration of the people of the state and especially those who are jl line for membership in that august combination to be known as the Gen. eral Assembly of 1913
 While the tax commissioners de- partment has sworn itself to secrecy as to the source of the suggestions, Commissioner Corbin is very willing to make public the suggestions. them selves, in order that they may sink in- to good soil. A number of them are printed below, with the explanation that lack of space prevents others get ting into print.
 Laws as to Assessment.
 The batch of suggestions as to changes in laws relating to the assess ment of taxes contains this hot shot for boards of relief drawing their pay are doing:
 Boards of relief should view prop erty before changing assessments on same"
 This looks as if it came from the natural enemy of the board of relief, the board of assessors, but, while the typewriter list usually indicates, by
 
 held by the man behind the suggestion no one is found to father openly the recommendation that blind men should not be eligible to membership on the board of relief. Other suggestions for changes in the laws relating to the assessment of taxes follow:
 Laws should provide for state pay ing one-half of expense of tax maps to such towns as desire them.
 Taxes should be laid on a uniform date in every city, town, borough, or other taxing community in the state, and if possible have the same date adopted by all other neighboring states on the same principle as the, adoption of a uniform negotiable in strument act in all the states. This would put an end to the double and triple assessments pn movable and personal property.
 Manufa cturers and corporations own ing property such as water power and dams should pay taxes in proportion to money invested in plant, because, in many cases, it depreciates surround ing property, and causes taxpayers to leave town.
 The present law giving the board of relief power to undo all the work of the assessors, if they see fit to do so, is a very absurd arrangement. Our present board of relief last year re- duced the valuations on their own property and that of their relatives ar bitrarily and for no just reason. I do not think they should have the right to reassess all property. Such action makes the work of the asses sors quite unnecessary. If their judg- ment of values sitting in the office, is better than that of the assessors who have carefully examined the property then why waste money on board of assessors?
 All taxable real property should be revalued once in five years, and the time for doing it should be uniform throughout the state; that is, all towns should have the same year, and the law should provide for a corresponding increase of pay for those years.
 I wish the town meetings could be regulated so that the tax rate would not be laid until the assessors get through with the lists and abstract At present. if we raise the valuation of property to the full valuation, accord ing to law, it will make some taxes exceedingly heavy for the first year
 Assessors should view property to be assessed.
 Assessors should have ample time and fair pay for assessment work. A uniform law for the compensation of assessors in all rural towns of the state | would be very desirable. My experi- ence is that it requires time as well | as talent to do the work properly, and a person capable of doing such work should receive not less than $2.50 per day.
 There should be general revision | of automobile assessment laws. We find it almost impossible to get at true valuations, the state license be- ing so high that owners object to pay ing the town and city taxes besides, and try to evade the law.
 Sprout land should be exempted, ex: cept for land value, for a period of | fifteen years from time of cutting off.
 Towns should have complete maps of property. Then assessors can se- cure true values and not before.
 Date of assessment should be chang ed to May or June, and the tax be payable November 1, as that is the time the farmer has money, if ever.
 There should be a law which would compel residents to take oath before the assessors, and not the town clerk, notary, or justice of peace
 There should be law which would compel assessors and property owners to list property at it's fair market value; also a law which would com pei the assessors to view every piece of property once in ten years or more often The laws in relation to tax ation should be more rigidly enforced and then the burdens of taxation would be more evenly distributed
 Signing under the printed oath should