The Elk Mountain pilot., 1913-05-15
To the Taxpayers

Aitusc- ~Diii nv. cfc' i'hiti''H 49,"
levics, which was passed by the
Nineteenth General Assembly, have
been greatly misrepresented Gin GER
tain quarters), the tax commission
desires to make the following state
mcnt:
This law, limiting tax levics, was
prepared by committee of the
county assessors and the tax com
mission. The law is designed to aid
in bringing about the assessment Of
property at its full cash value and
to protect the taxpayer by placing a
limit on the amount of tax TINT he
may DO called upon to pay. To se-
cure this, for 1918 general limit Of
fifteen percent increase over the
taxes levied in 1912 has been placed
on tax levying bodies, with specific
limits on the levy for county cur
rent expense, including the con-
tingent and poor funds. A table
has been prepared fixing the maxi
mum levies for these purposes ac-
cording to valuation. Tho MAXI
mum levies so provided in the bill
have been determined from study
of the lcvies now made for the above
purposes by each county and, when
values are raised to full cash, &C.
cording to law, these levies will
yield an abundance of money for
the purposes OF county government.
The act also provides that the
statutory rates of levy for the state
educational institutions and other
state purposes shall be so reduced
that for the year 1913 the amount
Of tax that may be levicl thereby
shall not exceed the amount levied
in 1912, plus fifteen percent. For
each year after 1918 the levy is lin
tied so MS not to permit more than
a five percent increase over the pre-
ceding year. The same limit is also
placed on all tax-levying bodies in
the state, from the general assembly
to school district. Therefore, by
these provisions, neither the state
tax, nor the city, county, town or
school tax can increase more than
fifteen percent in 1913, nor more
than five percent for each year there
after. The taxpayer is accordingly
protected.
The act also provides that any
taxing dist rict, except state, may be
granted tive-mill increase in the
levy by the tax commission when it
is shown that all property therein
is assesse,t at full cash value and
that this assessment does not
amount to a valuation large enough
to permit levy adequate for the
proper support Of the local govern
ment. This provision is inserted to
prevent possible hardship. The law
does not apply to money needed to
pay bonded Indebtedness, warrants
already issued and outstanding, or
interest or special assessments for
local Improvements.
Under full cash value assessment
the state levy will he reduced from
! 1.1S to not exceed II mills, which
in the matter OF state tax, will place
Colorado among the very lowest in
the nation. There will be slight
| inducement for counties to cut and
slash our state tax, aud as a matter
of law, MS well as gond business
sense, every county should see that
all Of the taxable wealth of the
county is placed on the rolls at full
cash value and the }evies made as
low as possible. Full cash values
and low lcvies are fundamentally
right in principle, as well as re-
quired by law. Any person OF in
telligencc at once recognizes the ad-
vantage Of full value and one per-
cent taxes over one-third value and
three percent taxes.
Heretofore, assessors, county COM
missioners, the tax commission and
the state board of equalization have