Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-08-21
UNIFORM TAXES
STATES NEED
Reduction ON Intangibles Is Asked
For-Enough Laws

Two widely varying opinions of
Virginia's tax system as it exists at
ceived by the Virginia State Cham
Der of Commerce from N d. Maher,
chairman of the Hampton Roads
Port Commission, whose report to the
General Assembly is stressing the
need of a State Chamber of Com
merce is responsible for its creation,
of Washington and Lee University.
In letter dictated but not read, Mr..
Maher declares that an attempt on
large scale to reform the tax laws
! of Virginia by commission would
be budensome, expensive and unsat-
isfactory.
In letter received at the same
time from Dr. Smith, commenting on
the tax situation, in part he says:
Il am Virginia citizen with all
my tiny property in North Carolina
and l wish to say most emphatically
that the Virginia method of taxation
is in my case clear highway robbery
which l must either submit to or
evade, as most others seem to do, by
swearing to a falsehood
Il am often tempted to agree with
the widespread opinion that the citi-
zens of Virginia as a whole are too
afraid of anything that is new, too
. suspicious of all strangers, too self
/, satisfied and proud of the past, and
too ignorant of the movements, the
whirlpools and the cyclones that are
agitating the modern world in less
conservative communities, to keep
, their glorious commonwealth in the
forefront of modern progress. 1 re-
; new my congratulations on your re-
, port and the activities it represents. -
/ Mr.. Maher, in part, states:
T The proposition on reforming tax
alton in Virginia was pretty well ven
. tilated during the primary election
campaign, and my opinion of the real
work of reforming taxation in this
State is that it ought to be done in
a simple way by men we'll versed on
the question and not by a commission
of so-called experts and citizens who
generally differ in their views and
whose conclusions. as a rule, are a
compromise instead of a definite plan.
Il think Mr.. Byrd's position on
this question is sound. l believe that
what he has suggested can be work
ed out at a small expense to the State
and the taxes of the people equitably
distributed, or as near as it is posi-
BILE to do.
1T is idle to think that assess
ments can be made by a State officer,
or authority and not by local assess
ing officers Their plan of assessment
can be made uniform by proper di-
rection. The question of intangible
property tax and intangibles is a
, separate question. My belief is that
with proper reductions on intangi-
bles, many more will be reported
and the total amount of taxes col
lected will be larger. 1t seems we
have sufficient number of tax laws.
Y All they need is direction with pro-
per State officials who should be
!, given sufficient clerical force and as
sistants to carry out the law. The
tables shown in your report (first
report of the committee on taxation
of the Virginia State Chamber of
Commeree), available upon request
without cost, under the heading of.
Percentages" showing average ra-
tics of assessed value, is misleading
in many respects when shown as you
do, without any explanations.
The whole question, of course. is
a large one and necessarily citizens
OF the State have frequently opposite
views on the plan of regulating tax
assessments but l believe that with
out any furthr loss a strong, cour-
ageous business man in the govern
or's chair, with the cooperation of
the accounting department of the
State, this matter could be put in
good shape"
Both letters were in answer to a
request for statement on the first
tax report of the Committee on Tax
alton of the State Chamber, and are
two of twenty which have been made
public during the last few days. in
the interest of a discussion of the tax
situation in Virginia."