The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-28
Think Graft Charges Made by Tax Board Sound
 Rather Silly"
ONLY EFFORT IS TO
 HELP TAXPAYERS
Believe It Will Be Much Less Ex- pensive to Pool Interests and Take Cases Before
 Juries

Following a meeting of the special committee appointed from the Bir. mingham Real Estate exchange to mobilize their forces and map out the plans of attack against the tax raises of the county board of equalization, a second statement was issued yesterday from the exchange.
 The latest statement from the Real Estate exchange is in reply to the charge made by the board that tho exchange action Hooked a little like a graft" In the statement the Real Estate exchange explains it's attitude in the matter and denies any intentions of making graft.
 From indications the short state ment from the board assuring the property owners that they would do Real Estate exchange. At least they seem unwilling to let the matter rest and are preparing to make fight.
 In the most recent statement it is claimed that even the S20,000,000 es- innate of the tax increase is an out rage and that the taxpayers cannot stand such burdens. They outline a plan by which each property owner can subscribe a maximum amount in comparison with his assessments and have his interests looked after in the courts.
 WORK WELL IN HAND
 The board claims to have the tax ation work well in hand-in fact, all most complete. They are optimistic over the complaint the Real Estate ex- change is making, stating that all complaints must be made to the board between the third Monday in June and August l, after which time, if any, one is unsatisfied he can appeal The board does not think much of the ar bitration plan. They contend that board of arbitrators cannot be secured to work without compensation and that the law has no provision authorizing the baord of revenue to pay for such service.
 In summing up the situation the Real Estate exchange has this to say:
 Adding insult to Injury seems to A- the attitude of the county board of equali. "a tion in their statement calling all of the real estate men grafters, simply because we protested against and are proposing to fight the $4O,OO0,OOO or $50, 100000 of raises which they have added on to Jeff ferSon county
 Many of the raises which the board has made are so unfair and unjust that it is practically fight for existence which the property owners will have to put up to keep their heads above Md.er.
 The Birmingham Real Estate exchange has but one idea on this whole matter, and that is to keep the total valuation for Jefferson county on fair ana equft- able basis. We will lend our heartiest CO., operation to any efforts the board may make to equalize taxes as among our selves so as to pull the low man up and the high man down and keep the same average, but we are heartily op- posed to an increase in the totals at this time. The boards official estimate of 20,O00000 raise, even if we admit that figure to be correct, is just as unwar- ranted in principle at this time, as a $40, 0,000 or $50,000,000 increase would be.
 "The board of equalization intimates in their statement Thursday that they have piled up these big increases simply for the purpose of making big compromises, and in that way hoping to get the tax pdySIS SdtlSllcu, Ool Il tudL IS lLS CdS6, they are proving that their purpose is not that ofequalizaton, but of getting more revenue This invitation sounds to us strangely, like the familiar cry of the tax raiders of old.
 ''The people of this city last fall voted down by a heavy majority the sugges- ton of a 20 per cent increase in their taxes, which was provided by the Bir. mingham amendment, and we do not be- lieve they will stand for an even greater raise at this time under the guise of equalization.
 GO BEFORE JURIES
 We think, however, that by standing together and taking these cases to the courts, the people themselves who comprise the juries and pass on the cases, will keep the total assessments down to amounts that are fair and reasonable.
 ''The charge of graft which the board made against the Birmingham Real Estate exchange and its members, is very silly. Neither the exchange nor any of its mem- bers propose to make dollar out of this matter and our only motives are to try to help the real estate public here, who constitute our clients, and from whom we make our living.
 'The plan we propose is very simple; that each taxpayer who has been raised agree to subscribe maximum amount of $1 1000 of the amount of his raise; fof instance, man who has been raised $100A pays in $1, and the man who has been raised $50O0 pays $5, and so on, or as much thereof as may be necessary to accomplish results. With this fund we propose to employ attorneys who will get this whole tax matter before the juries of the county and let them rlx the ,ax values.
 '"The Real Estate exchange in this con- nection is guaranteeing to the taxpayers that their court costs in each case will not exceed $5 a case In this way the taxpayer will be assured from the begin ming just what it is going to cost him to protest his case, which in the past has been the great unknown mystery or we might say the big stick which has been held over the taxpayers in order to make them agree to the compromises which the tax authorities wanted to im- pose.
 This is practically the same plan which the Real Estate exchange has employed in the past. and we think it will prove effective"