The review., 1920-02-05
TAX RATE TO, BE LOWER
THAN EXPECTED
ANNOUNCES HIS PRO-
GRAM FOR LEGISLATURE.

Amendment Reducing Tax Limita-
tion, Provision for Reassessment
in Certain Cases; and That State
Provide For No More Revenue in
1920 Than it Had in 1919.
1|As a result of the successful opera
tibn of the revaluation act, Governor
r. w. Beckett will recommend to the
special session of the General Assem-
bly, meeting, probably, in July, that
the state take no advantage of the /
acts provision authorizing ten per
cent increase in revenue for the year
1920: that the act be amended to al
low reassessment in certain cases be- |
fore the actual tax levy; and that a |
Constitutional limitation Of 66 2-3 per
cents tax on the hundred dollars worth
of property be submitted to the people
along with other amendments to pc
voted on in November.
This program, the governor made
public Yesterday in a statement to the
neople following reports made by the
district supervisors in charge OF the
revaluation program. The statement
was made after the governor had con-
ferred with the State Tax Commis-
sion, the State Budget Commission
7 and the State Treasurer.
Governors Statement.
| The governors statement reads:
! ITO the people Of North Carolina:
aAfter hearing the reports made by
the district supervisors in charge or
the revaluation act, and after full
eonference with the State Budget
1 Commission, the State Tax Commis-
sion, and the State Treasurer, find
that [ will be justified in giving TO
fhe neople of the state the following
information:
Il propose to submit to the Speclal
session of the General Assembly,
which is expected to meet in July, the
following recommendations:
sts1. That the state take no advan-
ftage of that part Of the Revaluatlon
Act which authorized a ten per cent
increase of revenues for the year 1879,
b.if that the General Assembly fix a
rate for 1920 that will yield for al
= state purposes exactly the sans
amount of revenue from real and per
sonal property as was collected IN tn
wear 1919. There may be one excep
ton to this recommendation ana ina
, is that it may be necessary TO lncrease
the funds provided by ~the state To-
the Dublic schools to the extent O
five per cent, certainly Rot more thar
, this This increase will be only hal
the amount contemplated by the gen
: eral assembly of 1919 for this speclh'
: purpose.
Purely Equalization Act.
: ''It will thus he seen, in the hgn
: of this recomm endation, that the ne
valuation Act becomes one OF equaE
r cation, pure and simple, and with tn
vast quantities of property now goln'
n on the tax books that was not taxeu
v all heretofore, both of lands and o
e Intangible personal property, it is Gel
|. tain that many thousands OF tax pay
ers will actually pay Less taxes
d 1920 than they paid in 1919.
n "2. I will also recommend ina
there he inserted in the ReValuatlo
J. Act a clause providing that in. an
n i wear at any time before the taxes ar
actually levied by the county author
ties. any property owner may ask IL
% reassessment of his property upo
fling an affidavit supported by tW
% disinterested freeholders that IL
a nroperty is on the tax books at SUI
greater than it's market value.
If "2 I will also recommend to II
snecia1 Session of the General Asse1
=. bly, that there be embodied IN the 70
:, stitutional amendments now penoll
- and to be voted on in November p1
vision greatly reducing the prese
constitutional limitation of sc 2-3 cen
~ on the one hundred dollars Wortn
Oi nronertv, It was the purpose OF
Ey Finance Committee of the House a.
lst Senate to revise this limitation dow
wards. 1t is now apparent that t
LII revised valuations will be large enou
''' to permit a substantial reduct1on
:. this limitation, and will leave a r.
sonable margin for the necessities
orr future development. Just WI
- figure will be proper limitation CT
not he determined until the to
,a values under the new assessment
rO, ascerCdlnoo'
int Outstanding Facts'
s"Three facts in regard to the
zen valuation Act are now outstand1
DIS, and no longer the subject of cont
,lti- versy:
"1. The one purpose of the act
e. to wipe out the inequalities of the
hey listing system.
ark "2 Under the Act the tax rate
be SO low that no class of prope
to will be outlawed and driven from
Tlth State.
e3. The extraordinarily low rate
to der the Revaluation Acs will unco
the millions of dollars in the state
/. aa - 4I,o taY hooks