Evening star., 1914-02-09
Piling a Tax 0ssa on Pelion.

Elsewhere in The Star is editorial
comment upon the practical relation of
the single-tax movement. which has
considerable local strength. to the
growth of Washington's tax burden
and TO the repeal of the haif-dnd-half
law Under certain conditions of land
holding application of the single-tax
principle is d specific. drastic and eff
fective remedy. curing evils highly in
furious to the public. The evil cond-
tions calling for this wholesome REM
edy are at a minimum in Washington.
and Congress. our local legislature. will
not fully test the cure. The single-tax
advocates would substitute a very high
tax upon unimproved land for other
property taxes. eliminating the taA
upon realty improvements and upon
personally. Congress is willing that
the tax on land shall go as high as any
one can desire. but will not eliminate
the other taxes.
Sinsle-tax agitation in Washington
pushes real estate assessments higher
and higher toward the point where the
tax upon the naked land alone might
suffice to meet municipal needs. with
out eliminating or reducing in pro-
portion or reducing at all the tax
upon personality and upon realty
improvements. Thence result Wash
tngton's extraordinary assessment ex-
pansion and tax boosting. reflected in
the figures which have been hereto
fore published in this column, coupled
with those which are presented today.
Washingtons realty assessment in 1912
was $50. O.S.2,4 greater actual assess
nlent than that placed upon Detroit or
Buffalo, and about twice that of New
Orleans. The recent tentative assess
ment of Washington realty, to be ad-
1usted finally by the appeals board. placed
the figure about $3.50, OG0 ODO. or eight mil
lions more than Baltiniores $ 100 per cent
valuation in 1912 The George bill, rails
ing the basis from 66Ss to 1G0 per cent,
II applied TO the 1912 assessment would
give as WaShirgton's valuation Si95,iS3,-
800. or over one hundred millions more
than Baltimore. This valuation, how
ever, is reached on the assumption that
all Of the 1872 assessment is figured on
the basis of a two-thirds valuation. But
the George report says that the 66ss per
cent basis is not universally applied and
that the full valuation of Washingtons
realty in 1912 was $4,000, 600 twice that
OF Baltimore and more than Baltimore
and Minneapolis combined. Mr.. Crisp
accepts the single-tax realty valuation
of S7i4, ,0C0, COO. and then tries his hand at
= like expansive assessment of the per-
sonalty. which on single-tax principles
ought to be reduced to nothing Mr.
Crisp shows conspicuous facility as an
assessor. reporting sls9.OOo,oOO of Wash
lngton personally. and making Washing
toms total assessment 1858 100000. practi-
cally the same as that of the whole of
Chicago and only about sixty millions
less than Buffalo. Newark and New Or
leans combined, all three of these cities
being larger and richer than Washington
The logical climax of this competitive
tax-assessment boosting is the appear
ance on the scene of the supreme imasi-
native genius who shall value the as
sessed fraction of resourceiess Washing
ton not merely as high as all Chicago, or
two Haltmores. or three New Orleans,
but higher than New York.
Then only will Washington feel that it
has received its true bedlamite valuation