The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-04-14
DID NOT LOSE
IN TAX SUIT
Railroad Contest over
Valuation Considered
of Vital Importance

A recent news article in some
of the papers has given some peo-
pie the erroneous impression that
the railroads have been success
full in their litigation against Ben
ton county. This is not true, and
the prosecuting attorney and as
SCISSOR are strenuously carrying on
the cases against the railroads,
hoping ultimately to win for the
county in sweeping decision.
The case referred to in the re-
cent article referred to a judgment
obtained from the county by the
S. P. & S. Ry. company. This was
based on the 1924 valuation as
fixed by the state tax commission
er. The facts of this case were
tried before the state supreme
court in two test cases at Olympia
and Yakima, and resulted in de-
cision in favor of the railroad, to
the effect that the tax commits
sioner had neglected to give the
railroad the notice required by law
before the railroad valuation could
be legally increased, therefore,
the supreme court held that the
increase in the valuation for that
year was void, and it meant that
the tax on the increased portion
of the value would have to be re-
fused. AS a matter of fact, al
most all of the counties have re-
funded those taxes involved long
ago, and Benton county was one
of the last counties to make the
refund. The decision in that case
however, is thought to be more of
a victory than a defeat, for the
reason that the court did not hold
that the valuation was excessive
on the railroad. property.
The new law passed by the last
legislature, permits the state tax
commission to re-assess any pro-
perty. The tax commission has al
ready given notice that they will
re-assess the railroad property
and the same will be placed on
the tax rolls for the next year.
As a matter of fact, this coun-
ty together with almost all of the
counties in the state, are involved
In some six to ten law suits with
the various railroads involving
their taxes, and all of the prose-
cutting attorneys have combined
with the attorney general in de-
Tending the cases as unit, and
the various county assessors are
preparing their defense along SIM
liar lines. The main contention of
the railroads is that the farms and
other properties in the county are
only paying taxes on from 20 to
80 per cent of their actual value,
and the railroads contend that
they likewise should pay taxes on
the right percentage. Not many
farmers or business men will ad-
init that their property is under
assessed or that the assessor has
only placed a 90 per cent value
on it, but if the railroads are sue
cessful, it will mean loss to each
of the counties of thousands of
dollars, and which loss will have
to be remedied by a redistribu-
tion upon all of the property in
the county. This makes this litiga-
tion undoubtedly the most vital
and important matter with which
the county is concerned. 1t means
more in dollars and cents to the
taxpayers of the county than all
of the other county affairs put to-
gether.
The Benton county treasurer is
sending out questionaires to peo-
pie who have transferred property
during the past three years, and
each person receiving one of these
questionaires should realize the
Importance of filling it out quickly
and accurately and signing and re-
turning it to the county treasurer
in order that he may in that man.
ner do his part in helping to pre-
| para his case for trial