Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-21
1||L DROP SUBURBAN
TAX RATE IN PLANS TO
BOOST CITY FINANCES
poor Showing in Assessors Fig
urcs Determines Financiers
70 Fix Equitable Schedule.
Builders Back Move
NO HELP FOR THIS YEAR

-, the suburban tax rate will be
.--.r~d as A part Of the revision OF meth
"a. N taxation planned by Mayor Smith.
,~,fh = view 20 Increasing the municipal
-.s,,,es during 1918 by from 900 TO
al eso 600 is taken as foregone conclusion
~ rnunlcipal hnanciers, who. as unit
= ~ar the suggestion for but two classes OF
-..ifv tar The plan as outlined by the
.-~-.t,ve builders OF the city is only "A small
ssrt Of Mayor Smiths legislative campaign
.rainst existing conditions
A,,housh the builders are given full
rrsdn for suggesting the Incorporation OF
49, so 5is.ss0 worth OF property now as
..~-.d as suburban at combined city and
.,r.ol rate of si1s "a per hundred In
- rrand total OF city. realty at a combined
~, OF 81 SO, this has for some time been
a. view held by municipal financiers.
rs.,rrnan Joseph p. Carney. of-Councils
r'nnrce Committee. is fully In accord with
~ builders. with whom he will confer on
~ question OF taxation.
SMALL SHOWING MADE
mylng decided weeks ago upon aitera-
tons In existing tax methods that will
<-,rx the assessors more directly In touch
~,,h tho power of Councils. Mayor Smith
srd his advisors were strengthened In their
Examination TO present new legislation at
NJ winter session at Harrisburg by the
mali showing made in the totals made
putIic yesterday.
The plan TO drop the suburban rate
could, II Is estimated. increase revenues
~ many thousands of dollars. but would
b no degree make up the new revenues that
M Mayor believes can be derived from
xration II assessments are made uniform
ana based upon a division of land and
buliding values.
Speaking Of the report which shows an
lpcrease in personal property values of
iSoooo 600 and an increase in the three
eiaszes of realty of sss.sts.2o0. the Mayor
expressed his disappointment and declared
thst IN another year things should be DIFF
fsrsnt
cksIrman Carney favors a revision Of
resont methods. but means to present his
plsn. for future tax legislation to Mayor
smith before making II public. Mr.. Carney,
vhen asked about revision. said: They
ulll all be made known in. due time. but
don't lose sight of the fact that they cannot
hslp us in 1917. Nothing can be done with
cut legislative enactments. and that means
that no material changes can become effec-
live m time to help the revenues OF the city
bsfcre 1918" E
BOARD SATISFIED
David N Fell. of the Board of Revision
n Taxes when asked to explain the low
Grures that have proved so generally dis
appointing, said: "Our present method OF
assessment is entirely satisfactory. People
don't take into account fictitious sales and
sales that are made under peculiar circum-
Stances that have tendency to boost
prices.
Our present assessments are equitable in
most cases and in thinking of taxes the
general public loses sight OF the fact that
new house in West Philadelphia usually
means an empty house in some other sec
ton OF the city. The reason there is no
seneral increase in the center of the city is
that property values were greatly enlarged
here some few years ago. think that the
present. methods of assessment should be
entinued without change"