Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-12-31
!, The New Assessment.

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The new biennial assessment of tax
aAle property in. the District, the first
under the new law which shortens the
period between valuations, yields a total
of about. 500 100000. an increase Of
approximately only SIC, 900 over the
assessment of three years ago. This ap-
p1aisal is subject to reduction as prop
erty uhwnefss demonstrate before the
board Of eqaeization and review their
claims of ovefs<sessment. The assessor,
in fact, invites the cooperation of tax
payers to equalize the assessments, ask
ing all who think they are overassessed
to come promptly before the board, in
order that justice may be done in in
dividual cases and also to accomplish
greater uniformity of tax valuation
throughout the District.
Every assessment Of property for tax
ation purposes includes inequalities.
There were many complaints of the old
assessment. Evidence was submitted be-
fore the joint committee of Congress ex-
aiming into the fiscal relations between
the District and the federal government
showing many individual properties
heavily overassessed. The assessor in
his testimony, on the basis of an elab-
crate comparison Of assessed and sales
values, declared that the average assess
ment in tho District Of Columbia, in the
typical eases entering into his calcula-
ton, was about 20 per cent of the true
valuation, instead of 1928 per cent,
which is the basic rule Of appraisal here.
There is NO occasion for surprise at
the smallness of the increase in the val
uation over that of the last assessment.
Indeed, in view Of the conditions with
which all are familiar, it would not
have been surprising if the new assess
ment had yielded smaller total. 1t
was shown before the joint fiscal com
amittee that in the matter of realty
assessment and per capita tax Wash
ington was far ahead of comparable
American cities. So that the local prob
lem is not one of increasing the rev
enue from realty taxation. but how to
bring about the closest possible approx
imAti6n to uniformity of assessment.
If the new tax on intangible prop
eIties is retained and enforced and
turns out to. be revenue producer there
will necessarily be an equitable OBJ
legation, under the facts and principles
established by the joint fiscal commit
tee, to reduce the realty tax correspond
ing in part with the increase in the
total tax resulting from the new levy
ON intangibles. For the fiscal commit
tee found that the local tax burden was
Sufficiently heavy in the aggregate as it
stood and that it could not equitably
be increased.
The. evidence before the joint fiscal
committee, indeed, showed a condition
which justifes an actual reduction Of
the tar ON realty In the District, even
though no new tax had been imposed.
Possibly the process Of equalization
about to begin before the board of as
SCISSORS will net this result. Realty in
the District is at this time taxed to
what is recognized as the limit Of en-
duranee. It has been figured in many
cities that The maximum that real prop
erty can bear without actually losing
yalue Is tax of per cent on the real
value Of the property. The District has
a tax Of ~ per cent on two-thirds
valuation, which is equal to l per cent
on the full value The assessor, gem
eralizing from several thousand typical
cases, has indicated that the District tax
of ~ per cent is levied on 20 per
cent valuation. Thus it appears that
the District realty is actually beyond
the point of endurance in taxation and
IL suffering a loss in selling value under
the tax burden now imposed.