The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-01-28
SEES DISPARITIES
In TAXING SYSTEM
E. w. Oyster Gives Views on
Bennet's Charge.
SAYS LAW Is NOT ENFORCED
Realty Expert Who Has Studied
Property Values Here and Else
Between Market Prices and As
seAsed Value On District Buildings.

"a. W. OSSIeT, FetWOr1n, VINO mas
made a study of real estate>taxation for
years. especially in the District, and has
acquired wide reputation for the &C
curacy and extent of his statistics said
last night, regarding the charges against
the Commissioners:
The greatest objection to the system
Of taxation in the District is that the
improvements are assessed at a much
higher rate than the land itself. Also,
II was testified by Samuel Phillips, of
New York and Washington, at the John
son investigation into the subject in 1892,
that the poor man was likely to be
taxed from two to three times higher on
his improvements than his wealthy neigh
Dor, whose figures ran to large number.
Il should say a result of an inves-
tigation, that the land of the District is
worth approximately $500, 200. yet il
is taxed on a basis of only about So. 600
600 more than the improvements, which
can be estimated at s25o.OO0. 900.
The real estate of the District is taxed,
roughly, at about 50 per cent of its value,
and the improvements on a basis of about
80 per cent, although the law requires
that both land and improvements shall
be valued at two-thirds their market
value as a basis for taxation. This dis
parity is what causes the greatest COM
plant. and it has always existed.
Does Not Blame Commissioners.
Il am not blaming the Commissioners
They appoint the tax assessor whose
job is for life. and they can hardly be
held accountable for his valuations Nor
am 1 blaming Assessor Richards. for
the simple reason that ! have not seen
his figures, but / am keeping track of
some of the land sales and il will be in
terestlng TO compare the prices brought
in the market with those on which he has
based a tax
The complaint that the homes of the
POOR are taxed more than the rich is
not new. and the facts to support the
charge have been given under oath IN a
Congressional investigation. When the
johnson committee of 1892 looked into
the matter its conclusions We're that the
homes of the ordinary people. of thrifty
but limited means, in the workmen'S
sections of the city We're taxed on a basis
of 20 per cent of their value. The rate
for the whole city was 10 per cent and
for the business section it was Al per
cent.
Samuel Phillips. wealthy capitalist
coronation director, and real estate own
err of New York and Washington. was in
roduced before the johnson investiGa-
tors by B. H. Warner. of Washington.
Mr.. Phillips was man whose word car
ried weight and who knew what he was
talking about He said that 1t was much
easier for the assessor to take in the
comparatively simple details of the i'm
provements on a workman'S home than
on those of the wealthy classes.
1.-The consequences were that the small
homes were taxed up to the limit. while
the handsome residence of their rich fell
low-townsmen were seldom assessed for
6ayf IL
mated that the landlord of a house rent
ing for $4,000 a year paid much less in
proportion than thirty-three owners Of
homes valued at $500 each
The iGiosyncracies OF the assessments
are marked and peculiar, and no one has
been able to explain the tendency of the
assessors to underrate the values OF the
very valuable residence property. None
of the land here is assessed on the legal
basis of two-thirds, as the laws requires,
except in a comparatively few cases.
Law Not Carried Out.
IF the assessments were made in con-
formance with law, the District would
have so much money it wouldn't know
what to do with it all. and what a howl
would 90 up from those who paid it, The
difference between the assessed value and
that which the government has paid
either by private purchase or condemna-
ton, has long been a public topic in
this city. AS high as forty times the
assessment have been paid. and from ten
to twelve times the assessment is not at
all rare, as the Congressional investiga-
tons have shown
Just few samples of the assessments
VIII show how they are not up to the
two-thirds of the market price: On
Fourteenth street northwest square 223 is
on a basis of IS per cent: square $50,
Twelfth and F streets northwest, A.
per cent; 37 G street northwest, 30 per
cent: west side of New Hampshire ave
nue.. north of r street. s. 1-3 per cent:
grounds of the Washington baseball
club, 81 per cent.
I'm the suburbs and outer edges of the
city, the assessments are away down |
Squares 3Slo, GIL. 5S17, and 331S, in Pet
worth. which the owners are willing to
sell to the District at 20 cents a foot as
a park, are assessed at ., 3, and cents.
or ID per cent basis. Square 3ne1 in
Petworth is assessed at 49, per cent Of
the price at which it is held.
Returning to the city, square 3s, and |
the corner of c and Twelfth streets
southwest Is taxed on a basis Of is Der
cent
THE property Of the District itself, |
under the old assessment, was on a basis |
of about IS per cent.
What we really need is a new sys-
tenn of assessing along modern lines and
applied with some sort Of scientific prin- |
ciple- For instance, Cleveland has what
is called the Cleveland or Somers sys-
tenn. which is practical and equitable, so |
much so that even in its earlier trials
few or no replies were received from an |
invitation to those who had kicks COM
ing to step up to the assessors Office
and make their speeches. |
An. English expert has discovered that |
there Is an individuality in heart beats
affecting the handwriting to such a de- |
gree as to be readily discernible when |
the writing Is highly magnifed-