The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-23
TAX COMMISSION
RAISES APPRAISALS
Brings Thousands of Dollars Increased
Taxation BY Revising Work OF
Local Assessors.

MANCHESTER, \. H.. Dec %
That millions of dollars of property has
been found to be under valued by tax
assessors of New Hampshire, and mer-
chants and manufacturers have main
tanned belligerent attitudes to forestall in
yestigation of true values by the asses
sors. was the startling information I'M
parted to the Association of New Hamp-
shire assessors in convention at City hall
here by Lawrence #. Whittemore, asSls-
tant to the state tax commission. Mt.
Whittemore cited several cases TO prove
his assertions. and said that only the
timely investigation made by the state
tax commissioners saved thousands OF
dollars in taxes TO the state. which might
have otherwise been overlooked.
Mr. Whittemore said In general l
think the assessors have taken the tax
payers word in regard to the value of his
stock in trade. In many cases the tax
payer hasn't even been required TO give
oath to the correctness of his return.
Last spring when it became evident
that many merchants and manufacturers
were taking advantage of the drop IN
prices to greatly reduce the returns on
their stock in trade, we started an lnveS-
tigation; covering several towns thor
oughly and in four cities covered the
manufacturing plants and insisted that
the assessors go over the retail stores.
Let me cite a few instances of what we
found. In one town with valuation OF
about S5,700.000 last year we found
differentiation to the amount of SS000O0
in the stocks of the manufacturing plants
and the four largest stores. Limited
time forced us to leave the other towns
to the seleetmen In a city and town
side by side we raised one company
81 100000 and they have agreed to it.
In another city we raised two mills from
$50. 900 each to 100000 each and one
m G1kH
agreed to it. These are only a few of the
instances we found.
LAS we entered the door of one mill the
selectmen said, you won't find anything
/ here, this man gave in $4,000, $4,000
more than last year" On investigation
his books showed an average of seven
times that amount, of $350,000 for the
year previous and we raised him to it,
Lest the storekeepers think the manufac-
turers were taking advantage of them let
4me state that they were found to be just
as bad We found that the average mer-
chant is returning JUST as little as he
hoped he can get by with In all, we
raised stocks in trade over ST,000,00C
more than was turned in and it is evil
dent that there still exists, on a eonserva-
i tive estimate S40,000.000 more of under
valuation in this class of property which
i is not difficult to asses and can well af-
ford to pay the tax.
i CONSIDER tnat tine merchant or manu-
/ facturer turns his stock from twice to 1t
! times a year and is taxed once on the
average for the year. The farmer turns
i his timber lot once in 40 years and is
taxed on some part of it every year ac
cording to its development The mer-
chant and manufacturer usually knows
what he has. and in large measure is
willing to bear his share of the burden
/ if he has to, also he is usually shrewd
enough to want other property assessed
| On the same basis