Norwich bulletin., 1922-10-02
toontnued on Last Page, No. Four)
SAY MAP WOULD PROMOTE
 EQUALITY TO TAXPAYERS

64C 1AAEA lGhc
 The voters of Norwich will have be- fore them for action this tMonday) eve ming at the town meeting the proposition of appropriating S6,0o0 for making part of a tax map of Norwich which will eventually cover the entire territory of Norwich. about 23 square miles.
 Those who propose this question. said officials of the chamber of commerce Sunday night, do so with but single purpose, that justice and equality be given to every real estate taxpayer, rich and poor alike.
 It Is common knowledge. they said. that the major portion of the tax list shows very small values of property compared with the selling price that ob- 1 tains. It is likewise true that some pro- Perties are taxed for more than the market value of the property. It is to remedy these deplorable conditions, a pernicious growth that affects every person in this community. that this prop osition is brought before the town meeting.
 The question of a high or a low tax
 rate is of small importance compared with the justice of the assessment, said
 the chamber of commerce officials. The
 real question at issue is the unfairness and inequality of our present method In 1880 the last general revaluation was
 made and conditions have certainly changed in forty-three years. The grand list of Norwich is joke throughout the
 state.
 | Neither is the bugaboo of extrava,
 gance in spending the public money which some say will result as the out come of a low tax rate a real issue, ac
 cording to the officials. Not only tn, lIroperty taxpayer is interested in a low
 tax rate but the rent payer ;s also inter
 ested in keeping pubic expenditure
 down and the rent payer eventually
 pays the bill. Furthermore no city D
 town has the moral right to have sucl
 a high tax rate that it bacornes a heav,
 burden on the shoulde's If tke smal house owner. High taxes do not encour
 age home ownership and the :arger tn , number of home-owners in a commu ' lity the greater the prosperity of tba 1 community.
 The making of a tax map is the frs step in the establishment If a fair an equitable system of assessments of red estate. It has been found m every tow , or city where tax-map was made Una r thousands of dollars worth of rropert was never assessed. consequently an in ! creased burden was placed upon thos f rfho had to pay. New London has re . gently discovered such a condition o f affairs. It is safe to assume that Nor
 wich will prove no exception to thi
 state of affairs.
 What will a tax-map do? It will sho' s the owners Of every piece of real estat in the town of Norwich because ever 0 foot of land and buildings must be aC S counted for. There can be no evasio n by anyone from paying his rropertiol Q ate shara of the Dnblic eynansa fTf e map will indicate land and buildins f value of every piece of property in u g city and town of Norwich. Any in
 quality to any owner will be expose
 A tax-map is as necessary in the a sessors office as any recprd contain, therein. No city or town in this sta l. or elsewhere can have a justifable sy j. tenn of assessments without the use $ such a map as proposed for Norwic Il Hartford, New Britain, Simsbu.'y, We e Hartford, Wethersfeld, Ansonia, Mel g den, Milford, Naugatuck, New Have > Waterbury, Bridgeport Union, Sa " brook, Watertown, Torrington. Harwi q ton, Fairfield, all use tax-maps al . New London is at present engaged > making one.
 l. The chamber of commerce officials IS clare that Norwich should treat eve l. property taxpayer fairly and justly. li owner should be compelled to Asar mo e- than his just share of the public e I'd pense. No owner should be permitted le evade paying his share of this expen because no record exists of his holding 1e It is simply matter cf honesty. jr a tice, and equality being meeted to eve Ill owner of property in Norwich wheth d. he be large owner or a small hon H. owner,