Arizona republican., 1916-05-14
Where the People
 May Have Hearing
The Taxation Of Mines

To the Editor of The Republican:
 Sir The Tax Commission has been requested on numerous occasions to give 10 the public. data and informa- lion relative to the taxable valuation of the productive mines Of the state under the plan adopted for the assess ment of same by the commission as well as .hc valuation that would have peer shown under the provisions of the rroposed Nine Tax Law.
 Previous to this time the commission mas not deemed it advisable to agitate question that had apparently been amicabf settled. in 2 manner. sup posed'y satisfactory to all concerned.
 However. it appears from interviewc furnished the daily press by some of inc prominent politicians of the state. that some of them assume that mine tax legislation will again be an issue in the forthcoming political campaign e
 If this assumption is correct and well founded. t will doubtless be of some interest to taxpayers to know comparative facts and figures as to what the valuation of the productive
 
 called Bacon Special Privilege Mine Tax BillT become law.
 This kiil provided that the produc- Ing nines of the state he valued for purposes of taxation at sum equal tc four (4) times their net proceeds plus twelve and one-half G2h) per cent of their gross proceeds of the prev ious year. after all expenditures in connection with the development and operation of the mines had been deducted The expenditures above set forth were not subject to review or correction by any assessorial authority.
 The tax commission took the position then. and still holds, that under the ad valorem system of taxation, no class of property is entitled to a priv ilege that cannot be accorded all other classes Tais position is not founded on spirit of antagonism toward the producing mines of the state, but rath- CT from disposition to he abso- lutely fair and impartial to all of the different classes of property that must ,of necessity. snbmit to being yalued and assessed by some assessing authority.
 The producing mines of the state were valued and assessed by the Tax Commission for the year 1915 (not in- cluding personal property) at $11s.o26. ! O03.74.
 The actual net" of all producing mines in the state as reported to the Tax Commission for the year pre- vious" 091D was s15 6.OGO.32.
 The total gross" for same period was S5S S,944, ,52e.16.
 Four times the above met" plus | twelve and one-half per cent of gross proceeds equals the total value of the ! producing mines of Arizona under pro posed law, s62, ,927. .307.05.
 Subtracting above from actual as | scssment leaves deficiency of valua l ton under Proposed Mine Tax Bilf If $4S,09S. .696.6g.
 l It will thus be seen that under the provisions Of the Special Mine Tas ! Bill' the total valuation of all of the producing mines of the state, woulo have been slightly under S70, 1000, ,000.0( for the year 1915, and that the valua ton and assessment actually placed on the same property by the Tax Com mission was approximately 70 per cen higher, CT slightly more than s11S,060.- O00.ed The figures above set fortl have been carefully checked and arr absolutely correct
 In conclusion l will state that tn relations existing between the Ia, Commission and the Mining Companie of the state, al the present time. ar highly satisfactory and cordial. Prac tically every company shows dispo sition to be fair and furnish all of tn Information necessary to arrive at a 'cnuitDle assessment The insurmount