Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-02-04

WIZ Nv i"i i'' th"ii IT 10 toudys
9 . 9 . q $3.50 . Q . . Q o . 9 9
There are at least three radical diff
ficulties with the system of taxation
that has existed In New Mexico The
fact that an immense amount of
property is not assessed at all; in
cqualities in assessment, and grossly
careless expenditures. Theoretically
if the gross valuation of the property
in the state. which is now on the as
sessmcnt rolls at approximately S273.-
000,O should be increased until the
full cash value of all taxable property
were reached" declared State Scna-
tor John $. Clark, who introduced
the revenue bills in the senate that
present a complete financial code, to-
day, (which, in my opinion would be
nearer $3.50, 100000 than $500, 000.-
000, the rate of taxation and the
amount of actual money paid in taxes
by the individual property owner
would decrease in the same proper
ton
Enforcement Necessary.
practically, however, this would
not be true because of defective laws
for enforcing the collection Of taxes
and because of the tendency of Of
ficials to spend all public money they
can get hold of. 1t is necessary,
therefore, it seems to me, to reduce |
still more by law the maximum per- i
MISSILE leVies so that with the in !
crease in valuation there viii be no
increase in expenditure. one way OF
preventing increased expenditure is
suggested in Senate Bill No 81, which |
reduces levies for state purposes |
from a maximum of | per cent OF the {
assessed value of the property in the !
state to a maximum of 3 IL mills, |
The bill provides also, that no po- |
litical subdivision of the state snail
make a tax levy which will produce
more than per cent i'm excess OF the
amount either spent or levied In that
political subdivision during the pre-
ceding fiscal year.
after all is said, however, the
great difficulty with our system. or
with the former system, was in the
matter of valuing property for pur-
poses of taxation. 1t Is common
knowledge that under the old system
an individual or corporation owning
5000 head of cattle returned less
than 1000 head to the assessor and
then paid on one-third of the theoret-
ical cash value of that 1000 mead.
The sheep owner does the same thing.
The Santa Fe railway is valued for
purposes of taxation at a maximum
of $40. GEO per mile, which covers only
a small portion of its lines. The ave-
rage of all main lines is less than
$4,000 per mile. The fact is that the
mileage of that company in New Mex
leo is capitalized by the company
at close to $4,000 a mile The same
disproporiation between assessed and
full value is doubtless true OF the
other railroads in the state.
1.-THE coal companies of the state
in 1914, produced a total of 3,szO,VOV
tons of coal according to the report
of the state mine inspector The traV-
cling auditors office estimates that
the total taxes paid in 1914 by the
coal companies for all purposes was
S5S.5OO. The tonnage of 1914 was
worth at least $5.50o,0oO.
Again. there is in New Mexico
wealth to the amount of several mil
lion dollars, in the form of stocks,
bonds, investment mortgages ana the
like, upon which no tax at al mas
been paid because its owners VIII not
return it for taxation.
Announcer lHlIlEt anu biif " 49,
importance. too, at least 40 per cent
of the land in this state which IS held
in prjyate ownership and is, therefore,
subject to taxation, is not even listed
on the tax rolls. TO express the mat
ter in another way, less than 90 per
cent of the privately owned land IN
New Mexico is paying any taxes at an.
What would be the result II the
stock owner the coal companies, tue
railroads the owner of Investment
securities and the landowners could
be compelled to return all their prop
erty for taxation at its full value AS
Stunning that expenditures are properly
limited by law, the answer is Obvious,
| think. The average tax rate in the
state today, exclusive of revenues de-
rived from licenses and the like, fig
ured ON at $273, 100000 valuation, is
about one and one-half per cent, or
something over four per cent on
one-thifd valuation. If all the private
property in the state were placed on
the tax rolls at its full value in
money. there would be, in my opinion,
$3.50, 900, 600 or more-nearly three
times the present valuation. The rate
of levy would he at least two-thirds
less than at present. Where we now
paw an average rate of about four per
cent on a one-third valuation we
would pay, | think. less than two
thirds of one per cent on full valua-
ton.
'As far as ] can see. there Is but
one way to do this, or try to do H.
and that way is through tax COM
mission vested with power to compel
each county assessor to get all the
taxable property in his county on MS
assessment rolls at its full cash value.
Senate bill No is a suggestion along
that line.
Personally, ! cannot understand
why there should be the slightest op-
lection to a tax commission with sucIi
power. | am strongly of the opinion
that the appointiye tax commission
is the nrnner SOLUTION. That II seems. |