Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-10-29
Unjustly Thorough Assessment.


The District assessors. in their trien-
NAL revision of the taxation valuation,
have undoubtedly done their work thor
oughly: and conscientiously, in an in
telligent effort to bring the assessment
up to the point of an actual two-thirds
of the real value of the local proper
ties subject to tax They have sought
the latest and most reliable evidence
of the actual worth of land ana
improvements and have formed thereon
their judgment of the proper basis
for. the taxation during the three years
to come But in SO doing they have
placed Washington in class by itself
with reference to the assessment OF
properties. doing for them what is not
done anywhere else, and infiicting
grave injustice upon the local property
owner.
AS this new assessment stands Wash
ington, assessed thus conscientiously at
practically full valuation. is in marked
contrast with other cities in which,
no matter whether the assessment is
nomfnally at fractional or full valua-
ton, the taxation basis is far short of
the real or even the established legal
worth of the properties.
Inc STATISTICS themselves SuOW
n,istakably that no reliance Is to be
placed on the so-called full valuations
returned by assessors elsewhere. Cities
of much greater wealth and Industrial
activity than Washington are on this
basis recorded as possessing taxable
property far less than that returned
here for taxation, an obvious absurdity.
IL is. in short, a matter of positive
49, v,af
u..tion elsewhere is on the 100 per
cent basis Washingtons former as
sessment. raised for purposes of COM
parison to full value. at S495. 1878 is
Il far heavier assessment than any
other city of comparable size Thus,
taking that assessment and the 1912
census figures for other cities. it has
been already proved that Washing
ton was given higher valuation than
the properties of such physically and
commercially greater cities as Balti-
more. Detroit, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Gin
cinnati, New ark and New Orleans and
also higher valuation than such in
dustrially greater cities as Minneapolis.
Jersey City. Kansas City. Indianapolis.
Providence. Louisville. Rochester anu
So Paul.
L ne new assessment on d tW0-tnlFdS
basis at sSsV.0s7.74s, when raised for
COMPARISON to full valuation. fixes the
local property values at S5S5,l4o,624,
and this shows Washington to have
more taxable property than not only
tne cities just named, but busy. wealthy
Cleveland as we'll. with population
more than a quarter of million greater
tman that OF the NatIonai LapI.;,l III
linz in
As this new assessment Is studied IN
comparison with the TAXATION y.
other cities the conclusion is inevitable
that nowhere else is the assessment
brought SO nearly to full valuation as
mere, that washington 81 at two-thirdS
assessed much nearer to the actual
worth of its properties than are the
cites which proclaim a 100 per cent
basis and assess actually at from so to
50 per cent.
Washington wants reasonable as
sessment and taxation in comparison
With other American cities. asking
oniy fairness in the establishment and
maintenance of the standard of valua-
ton If the standard established else
where is only fraction of the full
value, we are doing an unfair thing
sessment up to a basis which. at two
thirds, is relatively higher than even
Tho sc-called 100 per cent assessments
i'll such cities as Cleveland, Cincinnati
and Newark. which. with their great
Industrial wealth and larger popula-
lions. return supposedly full valuations
far below that of this city.
No matter how conscientious the as
sessment has been, the result shows
that there is something wrong some
where. 1t is ridiculous to suppose that
Washington has taxable property
actually worth s5s5,146.624. when Bal
timore can show only $422173,72O, and
Cleveland can return only s51s,552, 21O;
or when Newark and New Orleans. with
a combined population over 100000
more than Washington, can together
yield on. full valuation only s524,112.S04
True equalization of the tax assess
ment should take into account the stand
ards that prevail, elsewhere, whether the
rates Of valuation are higher or lower
than that fixed in Washington 1t should
reckon properties in the same light as
they are reckoned in larger. Weather.
busisr- cities. certainly not as more
valuable Washington should not be the
the tax standard is established on the
basis of full theoretical value, with all
the benefit of the doubt given to the
municipal treasury and none to the citi-
zen.