Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1916-02-02
HOW CAN WE RAISE
THE NEEDED TAXES2
Some Difficulties in Sight That Seem to
Leave Tax Equalization as the On
Iy Right and Fair Solution Of
the vexing Question.

Will De delivered Wltnln the next teW
days. This will necessitate the rails
ing of $10,0 annually to pay the in
terest on the bonds. The question now
is the raising of this sum.
Since | have been connected with the
County Court the county has been run
on as economical a basis as possible.
The tax levy has been made as low as
could be to get sufficient revenue to
run the various departments of The
county. But some people seem to
think that additional expenses can be
met with the same valuation and the
same tax rate.
OBLIGATIONS INCREASE.
The obligations OF the county have
been increasing at rapid rate for the
past ten years. Court house bonds to
the amount OF $4,000 have been is
sued. A high school has been estab-
lished which must be maintained. The
public schools are now given five, in
stead of three months term. Road
bonds to the amount OF $40, 600 have
heretofore been issued, and now
5000, 900 more road bonds have been Is
sued.
ONLY TWO REMEDIES.
These things all seem necessary but
they can not be paid for at the same
old rate OF taxat,or and the same as
sessment Then what is to be done?
In my opinion there are only two
things that can be done: Either raise
the rate on the present valuation or
raise the assessment and leave the rate
at something like what 1t is now.
RAISE VALUES, REDUCE RATE.
The question Is often asked, ''Why
Is the valuation not raised and the rate
lowered" This would seem to De the
best thing to do for the county at first
thought. but there are certain difficult
ties in the way which | believe is not
understood by the majority of the tax
PAYERS.
We now pay the state 35c on the
500 valuation which IN round numbers
amounts to about $4,000. We receive in
taxes from the railroads and telephone
and telegraphs about $4,000.
The valuation on these corporations
is fixed by the state Railroad Commls-
sion. If we double our assessment we
Will pay the state $4,000 instead of
SIS, 900.
Ii we lower our rate to one-half we
will lose IN taxes from the railroads
and telegraphs and telephones $4,000;
so we will have lost to the state and to
these corporations $4,000 and Will
have 30 more taxes than we would
have had to leave the assessment ana
rate at what 1t has been IN the past,
and yet we have not got the $4,000
additional taxes which we must have to
meet the new issue Of bonds.
HOW SHALL FUNDS BE RAISED? !
How shall we raise this sum? This |
is the question which must be met. |
offer the suggestion that 1t can be
raised by equallzlng our assessment,
Some of our property is ASSESSED at
about what is is worth and some of 1T
IS assessed at five times less than what
t IS worth.
| have had occasionto go over the
entire assessment with the special
committee appointed by the county
court within the past few days.
AVERAGE LAND ASSESSMENT. !,
The general average of our acreage
property is ridlculously low-sO low
hat hesitate to have 1T published.
The average assessed valuation of
.creage property for the entire county
S S2,64; this, too, includes all OR
arms with their houses, barns. and {
,ther improvements.
AS matter of fact we have hut
cry few hundred acres that are lot
worth this amount and we have many
thousands of acres that are worth from