Evening star., 1914-02-07
0NE-HALF RAISE
OF TAX BURDEN
GEORGE Subcommittee Pro-
poses Assessment Increase
From TWo-Thirds to Full
Valuation.
NOW OVER-ASSESSED; TO
BE ASSESSED FAR MORE
Washington Already Valued at More
Than Detroit or Buffalo: to Be
Valued at 1922, ,8s2 ,22s More
Than Baltimore.
No. VIII.
BY THEODORE w. MOVES.

The George (single) tax SUBJ
committee OF the House District
committee. which reported that in
1912 there were at full valuation
Sz44,ooo,ooo OF realty values in
Washington, has just submitted
to the full committee a bill in
creas1ng the assessment basis from
66z5fo to 1000 OF real value for
the District of Columbia. This
bill proposes that our present as
sessment shall be increased one
half. Since no one has the slight
est idea that there will be anv ac-
companying decrease in our mod
crate tax rate, this bill also means
an increase by 500 of the present
taxation OF Washington real es-
tate
The basis OF this bill is the slur
that the Washingtonian is under
taxed by being under-assessed );
that he is under-assessed by being
assessed at d nominal two-thirds
valuation. while other Americans
are assessed at full valuation and
that to put Washington on equal
terms with other cities in taxa
ton its assessment rate should be
raised from 66359o to 1000 OF
real value.
G) In very few states of the
Union IS there even pretense os
full value assessment, and analysis
OF the figures and the statements
OF the census authorities in 1912
Gas well as in 1oIo) slur the ac-
curacy of reports of full valuation
where that standard nominally
prevails
f2) Hardly anywhere else in
the United States, no matter what
the nominal assessment rate OF
valuation may be. is realty actual
" assessed so close to its real
value as in Washington today.
t3) Compared with other cities
ashington is already obviously
and grossly over-assessed. In
stead Of applying single-tax pres
sure to the assessors to swell by
tens or hundreds OF millions the
present assessment roll, a reduc-
tion OF comparative over-assess-
ments in particular cases should
bring about that equitable uni
formitv of assessment which
every faithful assessor earnestly
seeks. Washington realty i'll
IoI2 staggered under its excess
i've burden OF assessment move
ment and life in it are paralyzed by
he forty-million tentative increase
OF the very recent assessment. not
vet finally adjusted. An increase
bv one-half OF the present burden
Of tax assessment as proposed by
the George bill or its increase to
SZA,ooo,ooo as suggested by the
George report of 1912 would de
strov property values at the capi-
tai and would mean ruin TO pres
ent property owners.
When Washington tax assessments
were last discussed in detail in this col
uInn the census figures of 1910 were used
The statistics of 1917 are now available,
and the census figures of that year are
utilized in the comparisons which follow.
Not Habit to Assess Full Value.
Why compel Washington assessors to
assess at fun value when very few -ameri-
can cities pretend to do it. and none Is
actually doing it. The aim is to have
Washington reasonably assessed and
taxed as compared with other American
cities Why should Washington's assess
Inent basis be made to exceed that of the
vast majority of American cities?
The census of 1872 shows that of 19j
American cities having over 3u,eD popu-
lation, 1:-; are assessed AT less than full
valuation and 81 nomlually at full value.
OF these ~ cities, =: are in Massactr,I-
setts, II in New Jersey and T. in Ohio.
leaving only IA in all the rest of the
United States g Rhode Island. ; New
York, = Connecticut. = Kansas. i Mary
land ] New Hampshire ] Pennsylvania
and ] West Virginia.. Thus only eleven
states contain amy cities assessed at full
valuation and four of these states have
only each of such cities There are
no cities with full valuation assessments
in the remaining thirty-Seven states
Why should the representatives OF these
thirty-seven states vote to compel in
Washington an assessment valuation not
exacted in any of their home cities? Why
should ans southern congressman fix an
assessment basis at the capital which is
not applied TO any of his constituents?
But not even the representatives OF
states which have cities that report the
100 per cent basis OF assessment should
vote 10 increase the basis of Washinston'<
assessment, for the comments of the cen
sus authorities and Il comparison OF
actual figures indicate concusively the uli-
reliability OF these statements of full val
uation.
That the 100 per cent valuation is
nominal only in many cases is obvious
from the slightest inspection of the fig
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