Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-11-20
CAPTAIN DoNoHoE's
VIEWS ON TAX QUESTION.

4 Captain S. R. nonohoe, editor OF
/. the Fairfax Herald and a member OF,
the State Tax Commission, who favors
a scheme Of partial, segregation as
solution TOD the state tax Question
! has the following editorial in this
weeks issue Of his paper which viii
be of interest to our readers: :
Governor Henry C. Stuart has is
sued declaration converting the
General Assembly in extra, session on
Wednesday, January IS, 1915 to con-
slider. the report of the State Tax
commission which was in session from
the middle of April until the first OF
November, when its report was COM
pleted and placed in the hands of the
Governor.
every feature of the tax question
was studied very carefully, and many
important recommendations were
made. In accordance with the ACT
creating the Commission, two plans
of taxation were reported-one III
volved the present system, and one
providing for segregation.
For many years there has been a
persistent cutlery for tax reform, due
almost wholly to the fact recognized
everywhere, that the burden of sup
porting the State government rested
nnequally upon the shoulders of the
people of the various counties and
cities. Some counties would assess
their lands at from $500 to $1,000
per acre., when the actual value was
from S75 to $3.50 per acre, while other
counties would assess their lands,
which were no more valuable, at
from $500 to $4,000 per acre, thus
paving some four or five times as
much to the State, according to ac-
tual values, as the so called tax
lodging communities. The State rate
is IS cents on the 500 valuation,
and the State revenue had to be col
lected according to local assessments.
The rate being a fixed one could
not be adjusted to meet the varying
inequalities of assessments, but the
urder-assessed communities prohteG
ty increasing their local tax rates.
rhus while they really paid no more
taxes according to actual wealth,
they switched the revenue that pro-
perly belonged to the State into their
local treasures for local purposes,
while other counties and cities suppl
ed the great bulk of the States re-
venue.
"The advocates of segregation be-
lieve that this condition cannot be
rcmedied so long as the present
system of taxation is adhered to, and
the State has to depend upon an
ajvalorem tax upon real estate and
tangible property for any considera-
bile portion of its revenue. They be-
lieve that no permanent State Tax
Commission, with headquarters in
Richmond, even with the help and
assistance of large and costly force
OF employees, could regulate and
adjust assessments with any appreci-
able degree Of fairness and equity.
they believe, furthermore, that
drastic and arbitrary attempts to
control the actions Of local officials
would produce no good results, would
be resented and would eventuate IN
needless friction and i'll feeling. There
fore, tax system was formulated
which eliminated almost entirely, the
question Of local assessments for State
purposes. Under this system the
counties and cities will collect and re-
tain the entire tax on real estate and
tangible personal property, and also
on a few other subjects, while yield
ing to the State the tax on intangible
property, the Insurance tax, and the
tax on the rolling stock Of railroads.
For the comparatively small balance
| to be raised, the State will assess the
counties and cities as units, IN pro-
portion 30 their taxable values as
ascertained by a non-salaried State
BOARD of Taxation, composed OF tine
Governor the Auditor Of Public Ac-
counts, and the Chairman of the State
Corporation Commission. After all
this is done, nearly every county and
city would be largely benefited by
the change.
| "The State needs no more revenue
than she is now getting. An excess
c. revenue leads to extravaganza and
useless expenditures. The object or
oar laws should not be to wiring from