The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-30
REALTY EXCHANGE IS TARGET OF SIMS IN REPLY ID PROTESTS Should Take Their Troubles Directly to the County
 Board, He Says DENIES ANY INTENT
 OF DISCRIMINATION No Desire to Make Goat" of Jeffer- son County or Birmingham-County Boards Generally Seem to
 Desire to Do Their Duty

Montgomery, May 29.-(Special) That the taxpayers of Jefferson county should take their troubles directly to the county board of equalization rath CT than to the Birmingham Real Es- 1 tate exchange, the "self-constituted i redressors of human wrongs" is the | opinion of Thomas W. Sims, chairman of the state board of equalization. Chairman Sims made this statement to The Age-Herald correspondent to- day in answer to question concern ing the action of the Birmingham Real Estate exchange in announcing it's intention of fighting the proposed tax raises in Jefferson county The
 head of the state board denied most emphatically any desire on the part of
 the local board to make Birmingham and Jefferson county the "goat" for l Alabama. He expressed the opinion
 that the assessments this year will show an increase not only in Jeffer-
 son county but substantial increases
 in practically every other county"
 Tt would seem that the county boards generally are imbued with sincere desire to bring about equallza- tion in the counties under their juris-
 diction," said Chairman Sims.
 SELF-CONSTITUTED COUNSEL Regarding the action of the Birming- ham Real Estate exchange, Chairman Sims declared 'it is difficult for me to see any good to result from any class of citizens setting themselves up as lredressors of human wrongs when no wrong is contemplated and every tax payer is thoroughly safeguarded under the law" He referred to the exchange as the unbdden counsel of taxpayers generally" whose action lis instigated bv a few men who have no more con siderable purpose than to mould puplic opinion to their own advantage.
 Chairman Sims closed his brief inter- view with the statement that any se- rious consideration on the part or the taxpayers to the exchanges suggestlon that they pay that body $l per Slooo on all property raised would certain lv bring the conclusion that benefit would accrue to the controlling prop erty holding members of the Real Es- tate exchange and their selected at torneys rather than to the lndlVldual taxpayer" .., Chairman Sims interview is as fol- | lows:
 MIR. SIMS INTERVIEW
 "While it is impossible at this time to | make any definite forecast Of the re- | suits of equalization throughout the I counties in the state yet the reports from | the various county boards made at the request of the state board of equaliza- l ton indicate substantial increases in prac- tically every county. It would seem that /, the county boards generally are lmpued with a sincere desire to bring about 1 equalization in the counties under thelr l jurisdiction.
 .While in some counties an effort is be- | ing made either from lack of intorma- | ton, or, I might even go so far as to say from sinister motives, to give the i'm pression that certain counties are going | to be made to bear a burden entirely out | of proportion to any correct and proper | consideration of the taxables within tue counties, and that in discrimlnatory | way as regards the state at large, l can
 most emphatically deny any such lnten- tion, purpose or action on the part or any county board, or of the state board | These boards have been under my ob- 1 servation during the entire course of their i work and, as stated in other language. 1 they all seem to have proceeded with the l idea of doing justice to taxpayers, as well i as to have been actuated by the purpose | of obtaining such values as will enable the state and counties to advance along 1 progressive lines. Throughout the state 1 have often been confronted by the ex- pressed fear that one county was going | to do it's part while others would be l derelict. A short statement as to the l structural work of the revenue act I
 hope will suffice to allay this fear.
 i "The revenue act contempates that the original assessments shall be made by l the county boards of equalization. These boards are sworn to determine the taxa
 ble value of property from a standpoint of | its reasonable cash value, and that with out regard to what some other county | may be doing. If 1t is found that any Icounty is either overassessed or under assessed it becomes the duty of the state board of equalization to order such re- valuations as will bring about an adjust
 ment or equalization between the coun- ties.
 GRATUITOUS ACTION OF BODY l '.I have read a great deal in regard to the action of the Birmingham Real Es- tate exchange. It is difficult for me to see any good that may result from any class of citizens setting themselves up as redressors of human wrongs when no wrong is contemplated. and when every l taxpayer is thoroughly safeguarded under l the law. While I do not know of any l general appeal on the part of the tax | payers to the Real Estate exchange, the latter body on the other hand having con stituted itself the unbidden counsel of l taxpayers generally. who themselves are l especially invited under the law to ap- l pear before the board of equalization at l it's June term for the purpose of making | adjustments of any values that may have been unjustly assessed do feel that l the present action of the Real Estate exchange is not different from the atti- l tude that it has always assumed and l , am constrained to conclude from observa- l ton that it's action is instigated by few men who have no more considerable pur- pose than to mold public opinion to their
 own advantage. Why the Real Estate | exchange should so exercise itself over the matter furnishes food for serious
 thought. In weighing the point as to whether it should be accepted as ''coun-
 sel in general for taxpayers. when the
 gentlemen constituting the county board of equalization of Jefferson county are
 known to be men of very high character
 and fairness, one Is led to conclude that
 the proper and reasonable course would
 be for the taxpayer to take his troubles
 directly to the county board of eaualiza-