The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-03-31
Assessors Are Bringing in MOra
Tax Gloom.
Slump of Few Hundred Mill
lion Is Outlook.
ONLY TWICE IN FIFTEEN YEARS
Valuation Decrease in 1912 and
1914-Then Gain.
Low Property Values Won't Cut
Down the Taxes.

There iS1't much cheer and COM
fort in the tax outlook. Fact is. the
assessors are bringing in more gloom
than the folks who have to do with
public expenses have encountered in
some time. Even a conservative APP
pIication OF reasonable arithmetic
would indicate a slump of a few hun
dred million dollars in property valu-
atoms this year. Valuations might
take a big turn back to pre-war prices
and the state would be compelled to
Top off half billion dollars or there
abouts.
when the property valuations go
Aown the tax rate goes up Sometimes
Il goes up when valuations increase
That was the situation last year and
the year before and during most OF
the seasons for a period Of fifteen or
twenty summers Sometimes the
property increase cares for the m m
crease in public expense and saves
necessity of boosting the tax levy But
when property values hit the tobog-
Ran-look out.
Most of the trouble this year is out
In the farming country Every man
who owns a piece of real estate has
an Unborn feeling that the assessor
lost control OF his pencil and put d
feW extra ciphers after the tax value
of his land To be sure, most of the
land owners wouldn't sell their prop
erty at assessed value But that IS
something else. Just now the prob
lem is making the farmers happy and
getting thru another tax year without
humiliation of the taxing system
Big Cut in Values.
Farm values in Kansas under the
1921 returns were nearly two billion
dollars. A survey by the state Agr1-
cultural college recently showed
slump Of Is to IS per cent in land
values If the average should be
to 30 per cent it would msan that
cut of s5OO.0OO,O 600 to S6O0.OOO,OOO
would be made in land values
Personal property of all classes
Independent of public service corpora
tfons-is valued at a billion dollars
The slump in the price of mercantile
stocks motor cars. machinery. gram,
stock and small securities doubtless
means a considerable lowering Of per-
sonal values.
: There is also a half billion dollars
worth Of town lots-war time values.
Some of the owners of these lots are
likely to demand a reduction this year
And that is further trouble
Corporations Want a Cut.
Railroads and other public service
coroorations may want a reduction
because of lower replacement costs
There isn't much prospect OF a change
in these values, tho. They nave al
ways been kept fairly high ana a 1ur-
Their advances were prevented under
prospect Of much litigation Pubic
utilities values for taxation did not
increase proportionately with other
Droperties during the war partly due
r. sovernment control. There will be
a corresponding small change under
read justment-
Prospects of the big valuation slump
which faces the state this year is
more serious than it may appear at
first glance. Only twice in ntteen
years has there been valuations De
crease In 1914 it was a bare i've
million dollars for the state. In 1917
a decrease of 80 millions gave the
Stubbs administration an alib1 for the
increase in the state levy. Increases
have been steady and consistent In
1918 valuations skyrocketed and an
increase of $3.50, $4,000 was made for
the single year.
Just now it looks as tho the blessed
campaign year of 1922 is the time
when values are going back to nor
=aaIcy Public expenses haven't gone
back to any considerable extent And
the troubles which the tax levy max
ing bodies will have this year are
great to behold