Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-17
ADMITS HIS PROPERTY
IS UNDERASSESSED
Clifford Pinchot Voluntarily Ac.
cepts an Increase in
His Taxes.

Clifford Pinchot has voluntarily offered
TO accept an increase in his taxes In the
District of Columbia. and In doing SO
has brought forth a harsh criticism
against the board of assistant assessors
of the District from Representative Henry
George of New York. who Is 1nvestgat-
ing the tax situation in Washington Mr..
Pinchot declares that he is underassessed
by enough to make difference of more
than $500 year in taxes. and Mr. George
has replied that he is 1.-The first wealthy
man in the city of Washington, If not In
the United States, to come forward ana
volunteer the information that his own
property is grossly underassessed.
Mr. Pinchot directs attention to the fact
that his Washington home is under
assessed by $4S,973. or 40 per cent. in
letter to Mr.. George. which is as follows:
Taxes Unequal, He Says.
Your committee. learn. has de-
veloped the fact that many small own
ers of property in the District OF CO.
lunlbia are taxed on an assessed valua-
ton far greater than the two-thirds OF
the real value provided for by law, while
many of the large owners of property
are taxed on very much less than the
two-thirds provided by law. In this way
the poorer men are taxed most heavily
and those who are richest pay least In
proportion. / am told that this Is gen.
orally true in the District
when these facts came to my knOwl-
edge they led me to investigate the as
sessment of my own property, to which
] had hitherto given no attention. Ac-
eordingly. l asked Story Cobb. well
known real estate men, with whose high
standing you are doubtless familiar, to
estimate the value of the land and i'm
provements on which am taxed. Their
estimate leads me to believe that ! have
been taxed on valuation about $4,000
too low. In other words. at the current
rate of taxation. the assessor has not as
sessed against me about $500 of yearly
taxes that l ought to have paid, and has
assessed that amount on others less able
To pay il. This is unjust. Therefore. l
put the facts in your hands for such use
as you see fit to make of them
Congratulates Mr.. Pinchot.
In Mr.. Georges reply. Mr.. Pinchot is
congratulated on the public-spirited tone
of his letter. Figures from the assessors
books are shown. Messrs Story and
Cobb's figure of s2fS.OO0 on the Pinchot
property would be legally assessed at
two-thirds, or s165,333 The figures from
the books at the District building show
less than the real estate men value the
property.
Mr.. George goes into the matter fur
ther by saying that the differentiation is
nearly offset" bby overassessments in
seven squares in the southeast. where 2O3
small homes, mostly DID," on which the
total valuation was raised from $1S3, 800
in 1910 to s2o6j0O in 1912. This total in
crease would be 1890.
Mr.. Georges letter ends as follows: .
These homes. almost without exception,
are the houses of wage earners with large
families. who are forced to the most
stringent economy. The same condition
OF underassessment exicts in practically
every valuable high-class piece OF prop
erty in the District of Columbia and in
far graver degree than in the case of
Your property"