The Raymer enterprise., 1915-06-10
OPEN LETTER TO TAX COMMISSION
ASSESSOR MvMpER SCORES STATE OFFICIALS FOR ACTS

John B, Phillips. Chairman Colo. Tax cotn.,
Denver. Cal1Iadn
Dasr Sir
Your letter received sometime ago In
answer 10 my letter citing you long list Of over
valuations in Ws.d County. and note you rub /.
fnr on ny valuations on land. | should think
from the applications for rebates have sent In
On land yDu might infer that an also pretty
vel up 0H land. II fypa vii look on pages rs To
10 Q! FirHt Annual Report of Public Utilities
Commission, you will learn that il | am loa On
land (which deny you are maeh Iower On rail-
roads assessed BY your commits ion. You uili
learn that you gre accepting valuation On the
Union Pacific and Burlington Il 20 70 81 per cent
a what they are worth based on income and it "a
that On ,Fhich YOU largely bass your assessments
or railroads.. bus W v date YOU have MT aoa ed
income - he considered in getting al the value u
dald. II we shgaHl base Colorado land o. income
insttal II Transfer value Sc ah9uli have t. d.
de ms ptracnf valuation hy 2 This Is not i
& iess bHt V based tat4 collected by my oiiire.
ahy not raise rairulds and make them hear
their share Of The tSs haEpeut You surely know
tias Wv A-fi4 atA4 Aiat
der assessed. based either On ineume transfer
faluo.
Up 20 date your Commission has unwittngy OF
puIposely lasarei tHe giant corporations aul
placed a big part Of tueir tax burden OF The oass5
of the people v who are already carrying 3 stags.r-
inE load. challenge contradiction, There Is M
state IN the linton between the Rocky M1lHtlius
and ths Atlantic wheFe the farmer eaFfiea hnlf
tbe tax liad he carries nav ia C7larata. since ws
have tisc blessing ~ uf TaS Commission, and
notwithstanding sou have doutled the taxes On
lanl, BY boosIlug iaad and underA5-essing faiil-
rlslds, yag sllil claim aad u los
II ysa want 70 fead The story 0f Tas Cummia-
sion thai has ssrsed the people iAstesi u the
porAtions refer you 70 the Second Abnani Re
pprt q th. Arizona Tax Commission. | viii nnly
cite here one or two statements In this rypart
On page Y yoa viii see in4t the Atizona taE
Commission faiss1 railroads and lowered lands
and improvements II Is clear IL s-e that they
have nen in Arizona On the State Tax COMMITS
sion ahl Ease Investigated far enough u Ase that
land that pays from 10 per ecut interest on
capital invested cannot nay frum - to 8 por aere
ti2. as is the case nos ia Weld. As . Ell as other
plrts u the at,te, How can sou expect settlers
iaeltne II Colorado mud purchase laHd carrying 3
t1s load of over 81 per acre when they can buy
500 70 500 land In ths Eastern states that paga
INK Of utIg ~ 70 ~ CENTS per aefe2 II you Wiit
dig further into the arizona iepott }oH will
hHd that railroads. Telegraph companies, teie-
pboua companies. etc are all all essed higher In
Arizona than in COLORADO. white catils Hotsea
mules. etc. average luwer igu wil .sarn in that
report that The Tax Commission wurked with the
Assessors. te8h them into their confidence, sh1~.
al their hants and Gpth1ds and that there wore
no MYSTERIOUS teats u Apply lhat As essoia anu
tlKpaYer were not allowed 10 know about but
they all worked together Tor the one purpose Of
getting Just ami equitable assessment. Thsy
stas ed untiE they bad completed their work and
we're not dined and herdea sralnd ty the agents
of the e1rpafIli4ns ad addressed by sls,e oIls as
and Kept puEY with anything and egcrg tniuE but
the real work they hal eouie % do w, work 0It
with the Tax Commission true equalization Of
all ihr proDerty Of thu a,at}, Tae big corpora