Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-01-13
GOVERNOR IS FOR
EQUITABLE TAXES
Writes a Letter to State Board
Of Equalization Defining
His Policy

opening session Oh the STATE BOaTu Oh
Assessors at Carson CITY, Nevada, last
Monday:
Taxation is the fundamental busin ess
proposition of any form of government.
TO conduct civil government; to main
tain law and order, and to carry on co.
operative institutions for the general
welfare requires money, and that money
is properly raised only by taxation. If
it is a just government. the burden OF
taxation must be equitably distributed.
No man should be compelled to pay
more than his proper share of taxes and
no man should be permitted to pay less.
These are axioms which no one will dis
pute. Their application presents many
complex difficulties.
believe that Nevada is far behind
many other States i'll the solution of the
problem of equitable taxation. Vet
believe that there is no other subject OF
such immediate importance to the PEG
pie of this State as this.
We have an AL valorem system OF tax
alton on all property in this State. The
tax rate is fixed by the State Legislature
and applies uniformly to all kinds OF
property-real. personal and possessory.
ANY inequality in the system of taxa
ton. therefore, must resolve itself to in
equality in the appraisement of valua-
ton upon different pieces, kinds or
classes of property.
Sixty per cent of The cash value of all
the various kinds of property in this
State is popularity supposed to be the
uniform basis of valuation for assess
ment purposes. 1t is matter of COM
mon knowledge that while residence
property in the towns and cities is gen
orally taxed mp TO this basis. as well as
the realty and improvements of small
property owners in many instances.
very little other property IN the State is
any where near so highly appraised
The testimony of the Assessors at the
meeting of this board, held on January
10, 1910. showed range of appraise-
ments of from IS per cent to 90 per cent
OF the cash value. and it is probable
that the variation on close investigation
will be found to vary within wider ex
tremes than this, or to as low as Is per
cent. at least on several classes of prop
erty.
II is interesting TO note the effect on
the taxpayer of such variations in assess
ment valuations. Not everyone has
given it due consideration. and few have
worked il out by the proper method of
computation.
Let MS assume for purposes of illus
tration, that 500 is required to be raised
BY taxation, and that the real cash value
of the property which must be assessed,
is 10000. Let us further suppose that
this SO, 900 worth of property may be
classified as follows
Residence property. actual cash
value ................... $1,000
Farm property, actual cash value 1000
Railroad property, actual cash
value acknowledgements. 1900
Industrial business property, ac-
tual cash value ........... 500
Public utility property, actual
cash value Observation-Disclosures, ,ooo
Stock range and live stock prop
erty, actual cash value. 1000. 900
Total actual cash value. ........ SO. 900
Now il this $40, 900 worth of property
be assessed At its full cash value in each
instance, a tax rate of ~ on each 500 of
al la
nue. required. If this basis of valuation
be Oh per cent of the cash value, a rate
OF II .66s on each 500 valuation will pro
duce that amount of revenue. In each
instance the amount of taxes the own
ers OF each class of property would pay
aud which may he termed the Just
amount each class should paw, would be
as follows:
The residence property would pay. $40
The farm property would pay. 20
The railroad property would pay. 40
The industrial business property
would pay OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. ,
The public utility property would
pay Observation-Disclosures. 10
The stock range and live stock indus
try would pay Observation-Disclosures. IS
Total taxes paid ....,.............S 500
But let us suppose that instead of a
uniform system of valuation applied to
each such class of property, that the ba-
sis OF valuation in each instance varied
as follows:
81 900 residence property, assessed
at 90 per cent of its cash value. 5000
5000 farm property, assessed at
Is per cent of its cash value 500
$4,000 railroad property, assessed
at 80 per cent of its cash value. 200
$500 business property, assessed at
so per cent of its cash value 80, $50
81 200 public utility property, as
sessed at Is per cent of its cash