Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-02-01
Tax Levy and Assessed Value
of Property.
Editor Edgefeld Advertiser: 4.

IlOllS bS4StS IAN pSSf
is the question of taxes. This article
is not being written for the sake of
argument for or against any plan
or suggested settlement of u tax
problem. The only excuse that can be
offered is the desire to call the at
tention of people to a few vital
facts.
Everybody wants lower taxes, but
do we want to pay for lower taxes?
Low taxes mean low-grade ser
vice.
Low taxes mean a less efficient
state government. do you think
ours in South Carolina is too good
for us?)
Lower taxes mean lower health
rate and higher death rate. do you
think South Carolina has too few ep-
idemics and too few dead babies?)
Lower taxes mean rougher, mud
der, sander roads. do you think
we have too many good roads?)
Lower taxes mean that the door
of the school house will be shut in
the face of some child or adult il
literate who has not had your chance
at life's opportunities. do you not
know where South Carolina stands
in illiteracy among her sister states?)
Low taxes mean a low South Caro-
lima.
Can we afford it?
Did you know that South Carolina
has the smallest number of citizens
who can read, with the single excep7
ton of Louisiana?
That South Carolina spends the
smallest amount per capita for the
education of children in the public
schools? That South Carolina has the
smallest percentage Of boys and girls
attending the high schools, 2.2 per
cent? That in all educational lines
South Carolina averages the lowest in
the country, occupies 4sth place? The
Palmetto flag flies over more mental
darkness to the square inch than ex-
lists in any other state in the union,
save possibly one.
Did you know that South Carolina
has the cheapest government in
America? which is just another way
of saying that South Carolina spends
less and less for its citizens than any
other state. In 1919 the average per
capita cost of state governments in
the United States was $6.05; the av-
erage for South Carolina was $3.50.
Of the one hundred million people in
the United States the million and a
half in South Carolina pay least and
lowest of all. There is no reason to
be surprised or disappointed. We get
what we pay for. The truth is, u
tax system has broken down.
The state constitution of 1895 pro-
vides that call taxes upon property,
real and personal, shall be levied up
on the actual value of the property
taxed Our law requires that u
property be returned at AZ per cent
of its value. According to the last
United States census the highest val
ue of land in South Carolina was
22.9 per cent. The average for the
state was 11.3 per cent. In Edgefeld
county the census value per acre
(~average) was s43.58. The assessed
value was $5.72, the ratio of assess
ed value to census value being 13.1
per cent, just IT above the average
for the state, and 9.8 below the aver
age for Jasper county.
Therefore, the conclusion is reach
ed that it is not the mill levy, but
the return value of property that
chiefly matters. In twelve states of
the union property is returned at 100
per cent. In Ohio, one of the states
that require a 100 per cent return, a
8 mill levy will be exactly equivalent
to a 12 mill levy must be. The plans
suggested by the Joint Special Com
mittee on Taxation Ia committee ap-
pointed at the last meeting of the
Legislature) are in most case. practi-
cal and offer relief in the future, but
it is not my purpose to discuss plans.
I would simply remind you that
"you can't get an automobile for the
price of a wkeelIbarrow," and leave
this question-What part shall South
Carolina. first anon the states in