Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-10-07
TAX COMMISSION
HELD A HEARING
HERE MONDAY
CONTINUED from page ~.


In the work OF the commission il
has been found that property in the.
different counties and even within
some of the townships OF these count
les has varied in value from thirty to
ninety per cent OF the actual cash
value. Property in Ionia county was
previously assessed at about eighty
per cent of its actual cash value.
1T makes no difference" said Mr..
Barnes, what the tax commission does
in the county the aggregate amount
of taxes will not be changed. IL the
total valuation goes up, then the rate
will be lowered. The state wants on
ly a certain amount of money. The
nearer we can get the assessed valua-
tons up TO the actual cash value the
better il will be for everyone. There
is no justice in assessing farmer at
full value and large manufacturing
institution or railroad at half its VAL
ue. The work of the commission is to
eradicate this condition. The average
resident in a community can estimate
very closely the value OF a farm or a
city dwelling. but he is absolutely UNI
able to determine the actual value Of
a store, an interurban, railroad, or
manufacturing institution"
How do you arrive at the real
value OF store or factory? was asked
OF Mr.. Barnes. I'VE employ experts
to do the work. In the first place we
have bookkeeper go over the in
voices and books of the plant To as
certain whether the values are cor
rect We then consider the chance
for depreciation on the stock. Hard
ware goods depreciate very little while
a stock Of millinery may depreciate
i'm one season almost fifty per cent.
We have To consider the amount of
bills payable and receivable and
balance them against each other, al
so. All Of these things enter into the
value of such properties grocery
stock, which is turned every sixty
or ninety days. does not have much
depreciation"
How has Ionia county compared
with other counties of the state as
regards her attitude toward the work
OF the commission 'Ionia county s
attitude has been very commendable.
/ should say far above the average.
The values were pretty well up TO
start with, and the people have been
intelligent enough to see that the
work of the commission could not
ultimately affect them materially.
IF YOU raise the valuations, what
is to hinder you later from raising the
rate TO it's present figure and thus
greatly increasing the amount Of tax
ch
THE equalization board has already
set the amount of tax to he raised by
this county for the next three years
and il cannot be changed. The county
will not have 10 pay any more tax
than the board has apportioned TO II.
1t is explicitly laid down in the law.
however, that no supervisor can lower
the value placed on any property, or
passed upon by the commission, for
three years without the written con-
sent of the state tax commission.
'It is mandatory on the board of
state tax commissioners to make re-
Communications to the governor every
two years. The board this year will
recommend that there be limit OF
taxation placed upon state, county,
school and all other taxes where it Is
possible TO do so. We believe that.
as the same set of officers are the
takers and spenders of those taxes,
they should be limited In their sphere
of action. This precaution Will be
recommended and even urged. Such a
string on spenders would make 1t
necessary for them to make up bud
cots They would be more economical
i'm their expenditures. They would
work more efficiently.
"The work of the board when com
pleted will not have 10 be renewed
for many years under the system of
disciplining the supervisors that is in
force at present. Each supervisor
must keep the figures up To cash
value, and by this ] do not mean its
value at forced sale. or value that
an abutting property holder would
place upon it, but what the commun-
ity believes ii to be worth.