The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-02
ISSUES OFFICIAL TAXANNOUNCEMENT Allen Repeats Total Will
 Amount to $25,000,000 NUMBER ABOUT 25O0 Back Tax Commissioner States ln- creases Were Made to Equalize
 Tax Burden Between Small
 and Large Owners
NUMBER ABOUT 25OO

an official statement issued yesterday h. V. Allen, back tax commissioner of this county, made the announcement that 25OO persons, firms and corporations would be affected by the tax increases to be made by him this week, and that the az gregate amount would be about s2o.Oooooo' The statement of Mir Allen is the first official one made although unofficial in- terviews have been given out which prac- tically informed the people as to what was to be expected. In his statement no reference is made by Mir. Allen to the vigorous protests made to the board O. revenue Friday against docketing the cases
 The increases of MT Allen will be made this week He refers to some supposed inequalities in tax payments here. The statement of MT. Allen follows:
 MT. Aliens Statement
 "rhe proposed increase in valuations which I shall submit to the board of reve- nue will approximate s25, 0oo,ooo-possibly slightly more or less. The number of in terests to be affected will be in the neigh borhood of 250o.
 These appraisals, which I have endeav- ored to make on the fairest basis. em- brace farm lands, mineral lands, tangible property of railroads. land and lot com panies. industrial plants, city and town lots. etc., etc.
 There will be proposed increases on tangible properties of railroads amounting to about s2.OOO.Ooo concern ing which perhaps l should make some statement-all embraced in the total raises mentioned above. The state board of assessment fixes the value or ln- tangible properties of railroads ana other public utilities and the claim is made that the value of the tangible properties is included in the same,
 "The result Is, for example, rail- road 200 miles in length of rails in the state being assessed, say. at least W. 900. 900, and having, say, 40 miles or trackage in Jefferson county--one-hf fifth of this intangible tax Is certified to this county and the county gets credit for 1t.
 If in this assessment the railroad should return to the tax assessor of this county s500,oo0 of tangible prop erty and really owns s1.0oo,0oo as- sessable tangible property here, the effect is that Jefferson county prorates the excess with all other counties through which the road runs.
 To Get What Is Due
 q am advised that no proposed in- crease here would result in an increase of the intangible assessments made by af,1 r4rrr object in proposing these increases where justified, is to obtain for this county what may be due 1t and to avoid a division with other counties Of money to which they are not entitled.
 More .han half in amount of the pro- posed total increases win include rail- road assessments and assessments against large industrial companies, large land companies and 4oo or more of the larger an increase of, say, s12ooo.oo0 among ap- proximately 2oo0 taxpayers. and this does not mean distributed equally as to mum Der. but as to property ownership.
 q find that the larger property owners, whose properties have been returned for taxation by real estate agents, have their properties assessed at about 2s per cent of the real value. and 1t has been my endeavor to bring their assessments in line with those made by the smaller own CTS. see no reason why the larger prop erty owners should be specially favored.
 "One of the largest owners of realty in the city and county assesses at less than 25 per cent. and I cannot believe 1t fair for this owner to sell property at lco per