Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-03-18
TAX COMMISSIONER
REVIEWS DEPARTMENT
Reviews the Work of That Department
since Its Inception and Inauguration
and Explains its Manner OF Work
and Accomplishments.

and Accomplishments.
Pointing with pride to the present
tax system and furnishing some in
fersting statistical data, Thomas G..
Townsend. who stepped out Of the Of
fee of the tax commissioner last We'd
nesday, gave out a statement cit
ing some Of the workings Of the
department he was connected with
from the day the office had It's exist
ence. first as chief clerk to G. w Dill
Ion, like position to Albert B. White
and then as tax commissioners him
self. making a total time in that Of
fee of over six years. He retired
from the office because, under the
law tax commissioner could not
succeed himself. and will take up the
practice OF law in Charleston.
Mr.. Tow1send's statement is as
follows
Creation Of the Department.
The tax department was created in
1904 It was the outgrowth Of the
report Of the ncn-partisan tax com
mission appointed by Governor A. b.
White under a resolution of the leg
islature CT 1901 The investigation
Of the tax system Of the State made
by such eminent men as Hon Henry
g. Davis, John r. Holt, w p. Hub
bard. L. Judson Williams and John
X. Thompson, demonstrated the ur-
gent necessity OF central supervision
CT the tax system.
Changes in the Tax Laws.
The special session of the legisla-
ture of 1904 and succeeding sessions
&C the Legislature have made many
changes in the laws regulating the
leyying and collection Of taxes
During the past six years new life
has been breather into the tax laws
OF the State The changes made il
the laws and the results accomplish
ed in the way Ct a better tax system
during the past six years are not,
fear, fully understood, and, perhaps
not altogether appreciated. The peo-
pie of West Virginia owe deep
debt of gratitude to such men as ex-
Gov. Albert b. White. w. NJ. o. Daw-
son and many others who have made
great personal sacrifice for a better
and more equitable system of taxa
tio1 in West Virgin a. It will not be
out Of place to give some of the re-
suits accomplished.
The States Total Tax Duplicate and
Tax Rate.
In 1904 the last year under the
old law. the total property valuations
of the State were $27S, 1923 $50, of
which, $16S, 4S0,150 was real estate,
sS0,906,209 personal property and
s30,043, 300 property assessed by the
Board of Public Works railroads.
In 1904, the total average tax rate
81 Is 12 on the hundred. In 1910,
the total tax duplicate of the State
was s1,119, S2S,t73, of which. s601.-
1877, 043 was real estate, 1926, 1885,
1863 personal property and 1882 S45,-
961 property assessed by the Board
of Public Works. that is railroads,
Pipe lines, telephone and telegraph
lines. express companies, etc. In
1919. the total average tax rate for
ali purposes was S4l-2 cents on
the hundred This is the lowest
average tax rate of any State in the
American Union. Every West Vir-
gilman ought to expand with pride at
c-tTh tinofiOO
property assessed as high in proper
ten to its value as West Virginia
with tax rates much higher than
ours.
Notwithstanding the fact that for
1910, for all purposes, state, county,
school, road and municipal, there
was levied s9,459.2S0 direct prep
erty taxes as against $6,00S.763 in
1904; the rate in 1910 was "a II
cents on the hundred as compared
with $215 10 in 1904
The people of the state should not
lose sight Of the further fact that
while more direct property taxes are
being levied for local purposes than
q; any time in the history Of the
State, made necessary by the length
ening Of the school term, the IN
creased pay for teachers, etc, less
direct property taxes are being col
lected, for State purposes. In 1904,
the rate for State and State school
purposes was s. cents on the hun
dred as against 4 - cents in 1910.
The amount of direct property taxes
levied for state and state school pur-
pses in 1904 was S975.924 as
against s510197 in 1910. The
state collects the largest portion of
its revenues from license taxes. in
heritance taxes, taxes from insurance
companies, etc OF the 1901 1871 d.
rect property taxes levied for state
purposes in 1910, the greater por-
ton of it will be transferred to the
distributable school fund and paid
back to the people 1t can safely be
said that less thal 800 005 annual