The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-12-02
COUNTY
WILL PAY STILL
HEAVIER TAXES
Increase in Shelby Co. Assess
ment Under Law Will Run
More Than for Rest of the
State.
BIGGER RAISES ARE
EXPECTED IN CITY
County Property Owners Seem
Stuck for 20 Per Cent
More Than They Have Been
PAYING to State.


For many years Memphis and Shelby
county have been paying about one
sixth OF the entire state tay, manifest
Injustice, for they do not comprise one
sixth Of the actual values OF the state.
II was hoped by the business inter-
ests of this county that under the new
state assessment laws which 20 into
effect the first of next year tremendous
increases In assessment valuations which
are being made by the new state board
Of equalization, which are supposed to
apply equally TO every one OF the 90
counties IN the state, will not greatly
relieve this condition, but on the con-
trary aggravate IT,
The agents of the state board Of
equalization have practically completed
their work In all the counties except
Shelby and Davidson.
In Shelby county outside Of the city
Of Memphis the preliminary work has
all been finished, and II IL stated that
the general increase In the assessed val
uation Of the land outside the city Is >
not less than 400 per cent.
The present assessed valuation OF
realty In the county proper, as II APP
plies to this years tax aggregate, is
Slbss,saO, or In round figures $4,000
II that valuation Is increased by the
state board OF equalization by 200 per
cent, the total assessed valuation next
| year viii therefore be In the county (nut
| including the citY) $S6,0O0000,
Lower Tax Rate.
The new state assessment law and
| the companion law fixing sliding
scale Tor taxation provides that as the
assessed value goes up the state tax
late must automatically come down.
4 The total tax rate this yea. is sS cents.
That may come down 70 rs cents, but
| y Ia up to the county court as TO what
| the county rate win be.
| The total assessed valuation OF realty
| In the state this year IL In round fig
uros $500 900 900.
! Agents Of the state equalization board
| estimate that the average Increase In
assessed valuations throughout the en-
tire state will be $50 per cent II that
| estimate Is correct that would make
| the total assessed valuation next year
$4,000 100000 Instead OF $500, 900 900.
Under the provisions OF the tax rate
law then the tax rate on that total as
sessment would be only 20 cents for all
state purposes,
Figuring on the county alone at the
present state tax rate, the county pays
TO tho state this year s7s,0
II the Shelby assessment next year Is
| three times tho present, or $s6, 900, 000
and the rate 20 cents, the county would
| pay state tax of S9S,60O, or $751; 800
| more than this-year.
That would be an increase In che
| amount paid by the county taxpayers
alone next year over this OF 20 per cent.
| But the taxpayers OF the city OF Mem
| phs are likely to pay stlll larger pro-
| portion, The agents Of the state equal
Izaton board are just beginning their
work in tho city proper What the In
creased valuations fixed for Memphis
win be- has not yet been determined.
| However estimates have been made
| htt thpun fn mi NaIth ~ he
agents OF the state board elsewhere,
that the increase In the city proper will
be greater than that in the county, pos
sibly as much as $50 per cent, That
remains to be seen,
The total realty assessment at pres-
cnt for county and city Is around
| 500 600 900 for state and county pur-
! poses. There have been estimates hax-
arded that the total assessment under
the new law may go to 5000 000, 600
Naturally. with the appraisal not COM
plctcd In the city, and not finally passed
upon by the state board as to the
county proper, nothing but estimates
can be used Nevertheless, II the state
boards guess at tho total state valua-
tlon, given above, Is approximately cor
| rect, which would indicate general
increase in the entire state Of $50 per
cent, and an increase Is made in Mern-
phis and shelby county OF 400 to $50
per cent, 1t appears that Memphis and
Shelby county will still be paying
larger proportion of the entire state
tax than their just share, no matter
how low the rate may be,
Square Deal Demanded.
Acting upon a letter, recitng some of
these facts. written by w. T, Condor,
state and county assessor, to William
H. FitzHugh, president Of the Cham
Der OF Commerce, Mr. FitZHugh Mon
day evening called the members OF the
taxation committee Of the chamber to-
gethCr. After brief conference he
| to employ an expert sta\tician, who
lwill he directed to go to Nashville and
look over the figures OF the new ap-
| praisal In all the counties of the state,
and then to visit a number OF the
counties and make personal investi-
cation into the methods used in ar
irving at the new valuations, with the
view to finding out whether the in
Creases made in Shelby county and con-
templated In Memphis are in line with
the increases made in other counties
| Of the state, particularly those in which
the larger cities are located.
MIR. Gates and his committee will em-
pOy the statistiCiRn at once, as it Is
| imperative that II any investigation is
done the work shall be completed as
| speedily as possible, so that any COM
plant that may be filed in the name Of
the Chamber of Commerce shall be
made before the figures in Memphis
and Shelby county are completed and
finally approved
Mr. FitzHugh said Tuesday that
nothing but q square deal is sought.
but that every taxpayer In the county
should be assured Of that and that by
getting the figures and comparisons
from other counties 1t can easily be
computed whether or not that is what
shelby county Is getting
The provisions Of the new law are
that every piece Of realty in the state
must hereafter be assessed at its ae-
| tual cash value It has been found In
many counties that the assessment was
anywhere from 10 per cent to not more
| than 40 per cent OF such actual cash
value II is also said that the increases
| in Knox, Hamilton and Davidson coun-
| ties win be found to be fully as high
as those thus far made in Shelby.
|
CONTRACTOR DEAD.