Gunnison news-champion., 1914-02-06
nEW Tx nln
IS MORE JUST
Abstract Assess.sesf Shosss
Ressoa; Raise On ASic.A
smsl sad Coal Lasdk-
$%.500 Mos~ Moa-y

folioWInR the sending out OF the tar
statements last week. there has come
sp a great amount Of comment regard
ing the change IN the taxing system and
the Increase w the smossnt of taxes N
many cases. rhere is published on the
second page Of this issue of the News
Champion an Abstract Of the ASSESS
ments and I.evies rs corrected by the
Colorado Tax Commission and the
County Board of Equalization for the
year isl2-ls and as returned by A. n
Thomas, County Assessor " This sb-
strsct, if carefully studied and applied
10 the case Of each individual tax payer
may throw some light on the situation.
In commenting on the tax situation
Assessor Thomas makes the statement
that under the new law for full cash
assessments, the valuation for Gunnlson
county being sl4, 566 40 fixes the Ieesl
levy for this valuation at 81 mills for
general county purposes. support Of the
poor and for unforeseen contingencies. but
by permission from the Colorado Tax
Commission, this levy was raised from
2 mills to g. mills by the conuty com
missioners. For the County Nigh
School and in various districts where
the legal rate would not raise sufficient
funds for the maintenance of schools,
permission was also granted by the
Colorado Tax Commission to exceed the
limit to such m extent rs would raise
sufficient funds.
This raise from the legal rate Of 2.7
10 "a wss eonsiAered necessary BY the
conmisstsners Ter tAe sAaitio~sl fuBds
which were needed for county purposes.
The new law provides that the incresse
in any fund shall be more than fifteen
per cent unless the tax commission shsll
grant explicit permission for . greater
increase.
The increase in the actual funds
raised this year will be only -, SO.
But there has been q shifting in the
amounts assigned to the various funds
so that there will be $50 more used
to pay of the bond issue, $4,000 more
liosCu III tifS Io<ss iofiu, rDrVyv iOf
the county high school and $500 more
paid to the state. Increased monies
for these funds must be deducted from
other funds. The increase in the actual
amount of money realized from the
taxes will fall heaviest on the holders
of agricultural and coal lands Last
year the valuation on agricultural land
was s25l, ,545. This pear the valuation
on agricultural land was sl.137, $40.
Last year coal land was
valued at S670, LIS. This year the coal
land of the county is valued at 81, $780,
4s0. The total valuation Of the county
last year was s4,517,9l4 This year the
total valuation is $14, 566. 400.
/ Besides the big increase in the valua
tion of agricultural land the reclassifi-
cation which was made last year made
great difference in the taxes. For
six years there had been no change in
classihetion, but during this time raw
/ land was improved and placed under
cultivation on nearly every ranch in the
county, Under the reclassifcation this
improved land must come under higher
rate and consequently pay more taxes.
Assessor Thomas says there is a less
increase in the actual amount of money
realized from the taxes in the county
than there has been in six years.
There is considerable shifting and some
Continued on Fifth Page.