Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-08-09

Many Millions in Property
Placed ON Tax Books.
Approximately s11O,O0O,OOO worth
of property that had been escaping
taxation has been placed upon the
tax books Of the state by the South
Carolina tax commission since it's
creation in 1915 and from the date
of the commissions life to January l,
1922, it had expended for all purpos-
es only s121,143.24, according to. fig
ures compiled by the commission and
issued in pamphlet form.
The commission points out that its
survey in Columbia, putting property
on the books that had never been
there to bring in approximately $500
900 in actual taxes, would more than
pay up to January l of this year, fig
uring only the taxes to be received
by the state, about S150,000. A bal
ance of over $4,000 would be left in
the state treasury from this $780,
600.
In the pamphlet the commission
gives its work for the past six years,
showing the beginning of its equali-
cation process with the banks of the
state. When the commission began
it's work some banks were assessed
as high as 70 per cent. and some as
low as AZ per cent. The commission
equalized this in 1915 at 48 per cent
for all and an increase of $1,1S7,-
co. resulted. In 1916, however,
through an amendment to the tax
commission act the auditors and board
of assessors assessed the banks and
this resulted in a reduction of AZ
per cent of the actual value, which
basis is still used. This reduced the
banks some.
For Cotton Mills.
In 1914 the cotton mills of the
state were assessed at $29,487,000
and in 1921 the commissions work
had resulted in raising this figure to
$54,722,43O,. Of which S3,250,00O
was new property, leaving an in
creaseof S21,9S5,43O placed on the
books by the commission. In %equaliz-
ing water, light and street railway
companies, it was found that the
property of these companies was as
sessed at s4,443,434,OOO and when
the commission finished its work the
assessed value was increased to $751;
441,915,0 900 or an increase of So
99S,481, 900. Of this increase only q
100000 was in new property.
Cottonseed oil mills and fertilizer
plants were assessed at S4,0304,277
when the commission was created and
after investigation this figure was
raised to s6,634,O00, an increase Of
s2,5s9,723, and this in spite of the
fact that a number of plants have
ceased to operate and no new con-
struction has been noted.
Pullman, telephone and telegraph
companies were raised from $780,
100 in 1914 to ~s3,754,145. Of this in
crease S667,O90 was added to the
telephone companies as a result of
disclosures made the railroad COM
mission when the telephone compa-
MES were seeking an increased rate
in South Carolina.
In 1918 the commission, after a
close investigation, applied the az
per cent. basis to farm lands in the
state and this increased assessment
against this class of property from
STE, 31s,42S to s11O,924,0OO, or an
increase of s35,605,57S. This increas-
ed assessment enabled the tax levy
to be reduced that year from nine
and one-half to eight and one-fourth
mills. City and town property was in
creased from S~6S,150,364 to $751;
576,66S, or an advance of S1O,426,-
3O4.
AS regards merchants and mis-
cellaneous manufacturers, the COM
mission found them to be assessed at
approximately s12,O0o,OoO in 1913
and by 1921 this had been increased
to s41,s15,851, or approximately
100000, 900 above the 1913 figures.
In the work of equalizing the mer-
chants much discriminatory assessing
was found. For instance, n mer-
chant owing a stock of goods worth