The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-02-06
BECKETT MAKES
A STATEMENT
Pledges Tax Payers That Taxes:
VIII Be Greatly Reduced
This: Summer

~ " Z
property holder and tax payer In
North Carolina is a statement
made this week by Governor T..
w. Beckett, following an exa1ni-
nation of the reports of all Dis
Itrict Tax Supervisors and a full
conference with the. State Bud
Eget Commission. the State Tax
Commission and the State Treas
urer. Governor Biekett says
sI propose to submit to the Special
Session of the General Assembly, which
lis expected to meet in July, the follow
ing recommendations:
Il. That the State take no advantage
| of that part of the Reva1uation Act
which authorized ten per cent increase
of revenues for the year 1920, but that
the General Assembly fix rate for 10
l2O that will yield for all State purposes
lexaetly the same amount of revenue
| from real and personal property as was
collected in the year 1919. There may
be one exception to this recommendation
and that is that it may be necessary to
increase the funds provided by the State
for public schools to the extent of five
per cent, certainly not more than this
tions win be large enough to permit a
lamount contemplated by the General
Assembly of 1919 for this specific pur-
ipose.
"It will thus be seen, in the light of
this recommendation, that the Revalua-
tion Act becomes one of the equalization.
lpure and simple, and with the vast guam
| titles of property now going on the tax
books that was not taxed at all hereto
foHe, both of land and of intangible per
sonal property, it is certain that many
thousands of tax payers will actually
pay less taxes in 1920, than they paid in
1919.
| 80 1 will also recommend that there
lbe inserted in the Revaluation Act 6
clause providing that in any year al
fany time before the taxes are actually
ilevied by the county authorities, any
lproperty owner may ask for a re-as
sessment of his property upon filling
an affidavit supported by two disinter
tested freeholders that his property is OF
\ the tax books at a sum greater than it
market value.
Nm s.IsS
Especial Session of the General Assem-
bly, that there be embodied in the Con
stitutionl amendments now pending an,
Ito be voted on in November a provision
greatly reducing the present constitu
Itional limitation of 66 23 cents on tn
one hundred dollars worth of property
1t was the purpose of the Finance Com
mittee of the House and Senate to re
wise this limitation dowpwards. 1t i
now apparent that the revised valua
ttions will be large enough to permit
. Substantial reduction of this limitation
and will leave reasonable margin fo
} the necessities of our future develop
= ment. Just what figure will be prope
limitation cannot be determined until tn
total values under the new assessmen
] are ascertained.
l 'Three facts in regard to the Reyalu
alton Act are now outstanding, and n
jlonger the subject of controversy:
81. The one purpose of the act is t
: wipe out the inequalities of the exist
ing system.
so Under the Act the tax rate wi
I. be- SO low that no class of property wi
be outlawed and driven from the State.
SO. The extraordinary low rate un
der the Revaluation Act will uncove
millions of-dQ1lars in the State that hav
never been on the tax book at all, an
, will draw into the State millions of cap
: ital from the ends of the EARTH