Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-14
Brownies Confscatory Assessment.

Brownies Confscatory Assessment.
The favorite. indeed virtually the
sole. argument of those who are OPP
posed to the half-and half principle of
the organic act of 1873. which is the
corner stone of the Districts financial
foundation. is that with a proper as
sessment of realty values the District
could raise enough tax money to pay
all of it's own expenses, without federal
contributions. After so-called inves-
LEGATION into the subject of the local
taxation system the House District
committee submitted a report, based
on the testimony of H. J. Browne,
which purported to show that the real
property in the District was then, 1912,
assessed s414,000,000 below its true
value, the true value being s744 200. 900.
No justification of this statement ap-
peared beyond a reference to forth
coming census bulletin. which. it was
declared, would place the full value of
the taxable realty in the District at
s.75.00O.O00. No such bulletin as that
described has ever been issued by the
census bureau, and the estimate of the
Browne-George report thus has re-
manned without veri6cation, stating
the taxable realty values in the Dis
trict at s414,O00.000 above the valua-
ton as assessed for taxation purposes.
In his annual report for the past fiscal
wear District Assessor Richards fur
nishes corroborative and cumulative
proof of the monstrosity of the Browne
George contention of a grossly UNDER
estimated realty, which The Star has al
ready on several occasions brought I'M
der analysis to expose its utter fallacy.
The board of assessors has lately COM
pleted a thorough revision of the assess
ment. and it has been suggested that in
view of the attitude of the House COM
mittee on the District these officials
sought to bring the assessment to a
higher figure; certainly the totals have
been materially advanced over the old
valuation. The assessor, addressing him
self to the proposition of the George re-
port that it is possible to raise from
eleven to twelve million dollars in local
taxes. declares first that to do so would
practically double the tax paid by every
small home owner in the District, and
wipe out the equity in many pieces of
property now being purchased on time.
The assessor points out the close re-
lationship between the assessments and
the actual sales values of property, the
best possible basis for estimation. In
the suburban area the sales of certain
tracts within four years aggregated
S2,5OO,OO0, and the assessment on the
same properties was on the basis OF
$27O0,00O. In the northeast section
sales aggregating $726.000 represented
properties assessed on a s6S0.000 basis.
In the southeast section an assessment
basis of S480,00O was found on prop
critics which had been sold for $493.O00,
and in the southwest section. assess
ment bases of $1S2.000 were fixed on
properties which had been sold at
s1Ss,OOo. These figures offer strong
proof that the assessments, at two
thirds of real value in accordance with
the long continued practice, which
places Washington far ahead of cities
of comparable size in point of taxation
euuities and results, are by no means
low. but that they are in fact remark
ably close approximations of the ac-
tual market values
Washington realty is not underas-
sessed or undertaxed. Statistics can be
cited in overwhelming volume to prove
dSScSSC0
II ,avily in comparison with other cities
o. relatively the same size. 1t is not
ngular in maintaining it's assessme mt
20 two-thirds of the so-called true
alue. This assessment at two-thirds
is, in fact, nearer the actual value than
IN many cities which are supposedly
assessing at full valuation. Says
Assessor Richards on this point:
1T is certain that a full-value assess
ment at a rate of "a per cent cannot
be made without affecting the small
homes, tor it SO happens that the two
thirds valuation practiced in this city
exceeds comparable assessments in
many other cities where full value is
required. One of the best real estate
experts of the country has expressed
cities are assessing about 50 per cent
of the true value even where the law
requires the full valuation"
Here, then, is the official valuation
of District realty, brought up to date
and increased to the highest point
known, with a total of S345, 124,144 on
the two-thirds basis. This represents
a true value of s517, 6s6,21S. as against
the estimate of s744,O00.0OO submitted
by the Browne-George report. Where
is the difference of s22S,313,7S4? The
assessors cannot find it. No one has
ever identified it. No itemized yalua-
ton has ever been offered in proof OF
the claim that the District realty is
not assessed high enough. This claim
Is unbuttressed by facts and is no,
supported. as far as can be ascertaine ed
even by the shadowy alleged census
bulletin, which is still Forthcoming"
1t is gratifying to find the Distric,
officials and the citizens of Washing
ton in perfect agreement with regard
to the injustice of the assertion of the
foes of the half-and-half principle tina,
the capitals realty is grossly under.
assessed as compared with the assess
nlents of other cities. The assessor.
report leaves the case in such shape
that if further efforts are made il
Congress or elsewhere to discredit the
sufficiency of the tax basis in the Dis
trict they must be accompanied by spe.
ciic proofs. which heretofore hav.
been lacking-because non-existent.
The work of preparing new European
guide books Is entirely out of nronor