The Washington times., 1922-09-19
D. c. ASSESSOR
DEFENDSPL
Of VALUATIONS
Literal Enforcement of New
Law impossible, His An
swer to Critics.

Taken to task by certain members
Of Congress for the method he has
adopted in collecting the first taxes
under the full value" law passed
by Congress June 30. William p.
Richards, District assessor today de-
clared that to comply with a literal
construction Of the law would have
been impossible.
The law was passed on June 20,
twenty-four hours before the begin.
ming of a new fiscal year." Richards
said. 1T is not within the bounds
Of reas son that our office would make
field survey and reassess all prop
erty in the District in twenty.four
hours"
The new rate Of $1.3O per hundred
dollars on a full valuation Is being
collected on the last biennial assess
ment, with one-half added. Richards
states, since that is the only practi.
cal manner Of handling 1t.
At Work On New Assessment.
A force Of assistants in now max.
ing a reorgan .zed assessment OF all
property in the District, paying par
| ticular attention to the extensive
new building operations that have
been IN progress during the past
two years.
The new assessments will be open
for review on January l, Richards
announced, and will become effective
on July /, 1928.
vigorously defending his admin
istration in fixing assessments on the
more valuable properties OF the DIS
trict, Richards pointed out that own
ers Of rental property are eager TO
have their buildings assessed at
high rate, because 1t will give them
lever by which to raise rents.
AN apartment house owner pays
two months rent each year for taxes.
He knows that each year he Will
have to pay out that much' ex-
planned the assessor. His interest
| then, is in the income or the other
| ten months. II we raise his assess
ment sky high, he loses nothing, De
cause he is going to pay two mont s
rent in taxes anyway. Every time ne
paws high taxes It means he will ccl'
! lect higher rents that year"
Answering the charge OF members
of the House that his assessments 90
not compare equitably with the sale
price OF the property, Richards clted
statistics showing the full value on
bases of assessment compared with
the sale price in variou sections cf
the city.
Facts Shown by Last Table.
The last table of this kind was
prepared in July, 1919, and 1t reveals
these facts:
In the business section. the as
sessed value was S27.32l, ,S03, while
the sale value was 26,197.550. The
northwest County section) assessed
value was $2,775.990. as against til"
sale value OF s2,97s,910. The north
west (city section) assessed value was
$4,512,474 as against sale value VI
$4,4OO,135. The northeast section.
assessed value, was $1,5S3.1sS as
against a sale value of $l.673,O43.
The southwest section, assessed
value, was given at $6S3,243 as
against a sale value Of s635,170.
Taxes paid in May. 1922, were
ba sed on the biennial assessment th5t
became effective July !. 1921, anG
under the then existing provisions OF
law, the current assessment would
have continued as a basis until June
80, 1928. Congress, however, in June
last, passed the District appropr'a-
ton bill with a proviso that there
is levied for each OF the fiscal year.
ending June 80, 1928. 1924, 1925, 1895
and 1927, a tax rate, such rate on
the full value, and no less. Of all real
estate and tangible personal prop
erty subject to taxation in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, etc"
Must BE Gradual Decline.
This last provision Of law, there.
fore, requires the assessments OF
the District of Columbia, beginning
with July 1. 1922. to be listed at
full value for purposes Of taxation,
says Richards. The last biennial
assessment noted above as COM
mencing on July 1, 1921, was based
on field work pursued during the
year 1920. At that time property
values were abnormally high due
to unusual conditions resulting
from the war. During the year
1916 material and labor began an
upward move in prices which
reached their peak in 1920. 1t Is
conceded by all parties versed In
real estate matters that there must
be a gradual decline to normal
conditions. Real estate assessors.
therefore, consider II inadvisable TO
use sales and rents of high period
| for assessment purposes, as sucn
a course would produce an Unequal
| ity and unfairness.
After the passage Of the act OF
June 20, 1922, requiring full value
there remained but one day before
the beginning of the next fiscal
year. Congress could not have had
in view a new assessment nor
revision of any existing figures.
The term full value" precludes
fractional value and was intended
to repeal the use OF the term two:
thirds value and thus compel ful
complementary action on two
thirds value. using as basis the
existing assessment which had been
reviewed and equalized. Two
thirds value with a rate OF N.9o
per 800 will lproduce the same tax
az a rate Of s1.30 per 500 on
the full value, and the law now
directs the use Of the last cate
CORY OF figures"
To arrive at q full valuation, tho
assessors office Is making pencil
notations in the ledgers, putting
|