New Britain herald., 1924-12-04
BL0DGETT FAVORS l NEW TAX MEASURE
Approves Special Act Affecting
 Property Lists Here
ASSEMBLY TO PASS ON IT
Assessors Will Have More opportu- nity to Devote Attention to Per sonal Effects Which Majority of Citizens Fall to Declare.

Citizens Fall to Declare.
 Tax Commissioner William II. Blodgett has given his unqualified approval to a proposed special act prepared by Appraisal Engineer Thomas Linder which is intended to remove a requirement. for filing property tax lists on dwelling houses, barns. garages. sheds, icehouses, lots, stores, shops, theaters, banks, halls hotels, offices, public garages, livery , stables. mills, machinery, acreage, automobiles, motorcycles. merchandise on hand, goods in process of manufacture, cables, wires, poles, underground mains, conduits, mains, pipes. etc, of heat ing, gas and electric companies.
 The act will go before the next session of the general assembly for appr6al. Ratification by Commits sioner Blodgett of any measure per taining to taxation iS generally re- garded as assurance of its passage by the general assembly, since his recommendations are invariably &C., cepted in legislative committee when tax bills are up for action.
 Affects New Britain Only.
 If adopted, the measure will take the form of a special act pertaining to the City of New Britain, alone. other towns in the state being re. quired as in the past, to keep a complete record of tax lists includ- ing the numerous items mentioned above.
 Tax Commissioner Blodgett's &C., ton in sanctiontng the bill drawn by Linder is a compliment to the system devised by the local ap- praisal engineer and now in effect in the office of the board of asses sors. It's completeness makes 1t no longer necessary to require owner. or real estate and owners of mer- chandtse to file property lists, those who have examined the records ad- init, and this fact prompted the commissioner to approve Linder's suggestion that lists be eliminated. The filing of property lists in the past has extended through the month Of October. Property oyn- CTS have been inconvenienced on numerous occasions by long waits 7 hrtng rush hours, and oftentimes the law was forgotten until after November 1, and 10 per cent pen- atty resulted.
 Linder felt the law imposed an unnecessary obligation, and also that the penalty in a majority of cases fell upon those least able to pay, many of the deiinquents being persons who recently came into possession of property and failed 10 accuStom themselves with the duties Imposed by law upon property own- CTS. He laid out a plan 1or the elimination of tax lists on real es- tate, merchandise and automobiles and submitted it to Mayor A. NJ. Paonessa who approved and sug- geSted charter amendment. Mr. Linder prepared the proposed act which receive the revisers' approval last week. Yesterday he discussed the measure with Commissioner Blr igett with the resulting ap- proval.
 Will Result in Cleanup. With the expected elimination of these lists the assessors office will be in a position to devote more time to requiring strict compliance with the law in It's other phases. The assessors have found that hard ly one out of every 100 who file a property list, and who raise their right hand and swear that it Is "a | true statement of all my property liable to taxation" have actually sworn in all their property liable to assessment.
 Although there are perhaps thou sands of pianos owned in this citv less than 100 appear on the asses sors lists. Dogs will also be as- sessed, as will chickens, cattle. horses, mules, goats, sheep, swine. 1 Carriages, wagons and bicycles will be on the tax lists.
 Watches diamonds and other jewelrv fin values exceeding S25 must be filed. Other items included are household furniture, exceeding $500; furniture of offices, stores hotels, restaurants, saloons, hotels. theaters, shops, manufactures; pri- vate libraries and books, exceeding S200; musical instruments of all de- ecriptions exceeding $25: farming tools exceeding s2o0; excess of credits over debits in unfncorpo- rated business; bonds, mortgage and other notes, credits and choses in action; cash on hand in other than savings bank, exceeding $500.
 Another provision of the act gives the assessors the power 10 summon property owners and, if de- sired, to administer oath to them for the purpose of obtaining infor- nation necessary to the property records. Failure to comply with the order of the assessors office within one week will result in a 10 per cent addition 10 the valuation placed by the board, and loss of the right 10 appear before the board of relief