Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-24
NEW LONDON AND ITS TAXATION
ne Member of Board of Assessors and Eqzaon Believers Increased Revenue Should Be Obtained from Higher Rate Rather Than Higher Valuation-Wants to Avoid Double Taxation-Bigger Budget By $1oO,O0O This Year-Jaekson Slated For Police Captain.
Especial to The Bunetin.) )

Especial to The Bulletin-)
 There is friction in the combined hoard of assessors and. board of equal izstfon. each board being. composed Of the same members Allen Penhalle, Frhncis J.. Bracken and Thomas R Murray, and there is rtrrnor that MT ] Murray coHtemplates resignation in ; conseotsence. Some time ago, a year CT more, the mayor appointed the as <, sesor. as a, board of equalization and i it was generally supposed for the pur- pose os placing the taxable property m the city on a more equal basis. and, of course, for the purpose of increasing the cfry income. It was not supposed that an equalization of taxation meant a general increase on practical ! fy every piece of real estate in the c5ty. as most of the. taxation in the residential sections are now practical ! 1y to the limit. The majority Of the board has acted upon the theory that the equalization desired by the mayor | azx' -rA oNr-- Of common council was aiI lI.rIvs.ze Tn property valuation and have acted accordingly. St is said that every dwelling and building lot in the city has been increased in valua- ton at least ten per cent, and that means real hardship on the great ma iority of the workingmen- who own their little homes or who have the same under heavy mortgage, and all they can do to pay the inteerst and the present rate of taxation and :his more 90 than ever at present V ith the pre- vailing high cost of living. That is a reason why Mir Murray dissents from his two associates on the board.
 Assessor Murray contends that if more money is needed to meet the war exigencies and the extreme demands of the state tax and assessment for the new bridge at Niantic, it ought to be raised by an increase in the tax Q n <a F is plain that the present budget Of the court of common council requires increased revenue to meet the increaS- e5 expenses, and no serious objection crease in the tax rate for the pres could reasonably be made to an in ert year to meet the present emeIgen- cy, as perhaps by exercising economy the rate could be reduced a year later.
 The raising of the tax rate need not necessarily be permanent Not so with property valuation. But the raising of the tax rate and increasing valua- tier at the same time is practically double taxation. one of permanent and the ether of temporary nature. This is what Assessor. Murray does not approve. At present the tax rate is 1s n1iFzs, but at the city meeting the finance committee of the court of common council stated 20 mill tax would he none too large, and now. when the assessors are completing their work, it is indicated that the tax
 
 dition to the increased valuation in t1e grand list. Mir. Murray believes that If the court of common council recommends and the city approves of council and the people should bear the responsibility by fixing the tax rate, and have it ample to meet ell re- Guirements. and he is no objector to a fair equalization of taxable property, but he considers that general in crease Of valuation does not cover eIua;Iza 0on in any sense. especially when that valua ton is based on the ficticious value of real estate during thees war times: when the city is over crowded and there is demand for dwelling houses. There is sure to be a drop in the excessive values W.3 en the slump that is sure t. come gets here, or when conditions return to normal - The new valuation. will re- main even should there he reduction in the tax rate.
 Years ago when the equalization of taxation was 50 strongly Urred is was eSni3ined that the equalization 7leent reduction in tax rates and without loss of revenue. to the city. That tho burden oS the little fellow would he ligttene6i and the big fellow woulf! ;hen lear his just Dar4 of the bur. den of taxation This is Assessor Nurray's idea, but his associates in sist that the onIv way tC. get the re- tyrr-s according to .the expressed wish of the mayor ard the court of conn- nien council. %nd for Ie service fer 2 which the saisries- of sthAe assessors have teeE coub5ed is to raise the coin by increasing the valuation and i'm creasing the tax rate as well. Messrs. PenhaIiow and Bracken. both }experi- enced assessors. Gas we'll .as Mir. Nur- ray) claim that their plan is the onIv one practical and will therefore be adopted; by the board, Or majority of the board. Mir. Murray dissenting. That is the city meeting win fix, the tax rate based CD the grand list and the assessors will see to it that the grand list will be amply large enough for the most extragant city expenditures, regardless of the size of the roll of the poorer tax payers. and tie dear pub iic in general, all heinz indirect tax payers.
 Th9 city budget for this year as pre- pared by the court of common council is about s100.o0o more than last year. which upon it's face means an in- crease of two mills or more but. it is believed that when the city meeting comes for the fixing of the tax rate that couple of mills more will be added. There must be need for this increase or the honorable and inteili- gent court of common council would not so recommend. That the last court 0 fcomofl council, the same that made up the budget, is of generous make NDM4S 0iAO"A4 III LAAC lADCs aiiIN Alf T dioiuss already overpafd salaries of some city officials. In these instances perhaps, the. increased cost of living was taken into consideration, but no considera- tion was given to the already over burdensd tax payer the little fellow who possesses his heavily mortgaged home, or to the workingman who hires the tenements and really pays the, tax The grand list of New. London nas trebleI within the past twenty years which is all of out of proper ton. to the grand list of New London. .. ii increase. in population. East year the l grand list of New London was about | S1s 100000 lager than the s town of Norwich with about three times or