Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1913-01-09
TAXING BOARD
MAKES REPORT
Is Filed with Gov. Hunt
for Past Fractional Year;
Tells of Conference
with Mining Men
REPORT CONES LATER

Z iAt%A OA1 1OLfED La En-
ROOM 203 -. b. A building. PHoE-
! NIX. Ariz. Jan. S.-The State Tax
commission fled its first report with
f. Governor Hunt today. The report is
for the period between May 18TH.
and Dec 3fst. 1912 Il not only re
views the work accomplished by the
commission but also outlines the an
ticipaJed accomplishments 1t gives
to the public for the first time. the
history Of the mining conference held
i'm Phoenix on Oct 2Sth and attended
by the Tax commission. limited rep
! resrntation OF county assessors and
I supervisors and twenty of the lead
ing mining men Of the state
The report also includes the report
OF Commissioner Zander who attend
ed as q delegate from Arizona, the
Sixth National Conference on State
: and local taxation held at Des MoineS
, In the early part of September OF last
/ year According to the report. this
| conference proved highly interesting
I and instructive. A large proportion of
[ the states were represented and re
/ yealed the fact that the tax question
( was not only the paramount issue in
| Arizona but throughout the United
/ States II was generally agreed at
I the conference that those states haE-
/ ing tax commission were making the
I greatest progress towards an effuit-
able and fair assessment of all class
/ es Of property.
! In its report the commission draws
( the conclusion that state control OF
I revenue machinery viii finally be the
I plan adopted by all progressive states
I In states where such plan is used
I the tax rate has been decreased and
I total valuations have increased, due
Z in great part TO the addition of prop
1 erty previously escaping taxation.
: The entire board of state commits
siCners, according to their report, be-
Z lieve the best that can be done in
I Arizona is to first devise a plan as
nearly perfect as experience dictates
( and then charge the vigilance of the
people 70 enforce it, The best plan.
SAYS the report, must surely have
/ central authority that is responsible
[ generally for everything and then the
/ people will have no difficulty in fix
/ ing the blame and acting according
! ~ The local assessor should have
as large a jurisdiction as he can ad-
minister efficiently. in order that he
may be remove as far as possible from
the influence of cIiques and he should
+ be resident of his Jurisdiction so
I that he can be personally familiar
with all the property he assesses.
! The local boards of equalization, in
i the minds Of the commission, should
/ be governed by the same condition
/ as the assessor. both are needed be-
| cause Of their knowledge OF local
! property, but they should not exist
/ because of their abuse OF that knowl-
edge. To prevent this abuse. the
commissioners urge a state control.
with the administrative officers in
I the system all elected by the people.
Naturally the report devotes con.
/ siderable space to the subject Of the
/ assessment of producing mines. there
being at present no specific law ap-
f! plicable for sucn. thar class Of prop
erty having become assessable on
the ad valorem basis like all other
I property in The state not classified
by any special act of the legislature
when the bullion law was repealed.
Z The report reviews the efforts of the
/ commission to ascertain necessary
+ information from the various mining
Z companies of the state which was
/ generally readily furnished. II was
not possible, however. to formulate
a plan of assessment entirely salts.
/ factory to all and as a consequence.
the mining conference above referred
10 was arranged for.
This conference lasted two days and
} resulted in the agreement on the
part OF the mining companies to a
proposed legislative act which would
arrive at the assessed value of mines
BY the following calculation first. all
patented mines be assessed BY acre
al the price paid the government
therefor. Second. that all improve
+ ments upon said mines be assessed
By The tax commission at the same
+ yalue rs other property Third that
/ the net earnings from mines be as
/ eeTtaiEed and assessed at 1907 of
their trile value. Fourth. that in ad-
/ dition thereto all producing mines be
assessed upon i21zet Of the gross
yield thereof in value.
/ Although the conference was al
most entirely taken up with earnest
discussion of the subject under con.
sideration. there was much good feel
I. ing manifest throughout between the
Z the mine operators the assessors, SUI