Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
The Increasing Assessment.


Elsewhere in today's Star the new
assessment figures on which current tax
bills are based are discussed in an inter-
view with Assessor Richards. The in
| crease of some seventeen millions of dol
lars over the previous years figures is
explained for the most part by new
buildings and improvements and the
higher value, in some sections of the
city, brought about by sales. Tezoning
and other neighborhood changes.
What great many Neutrality-suspicious.
will want to know, however, is whether
the real estate depression has been
taken into consideration by the as
SCISSORS office. The best answer to that
question is that tax bills are remaining
either stationary or increasing. It is
true that the assessment now under
consideration was completed In Janu-
airy of this year and does not con-
template property values since that
time. But Mr.. Richards theory as to
the general effect of depression on
the assessment figure is interesting.
This, the tax assessor explains is merely
to bring the assessments nearer to the
100 per cent Of true value demanded
by the law than they were before. For
instance, property assessed four years
ago within a certain neighborhood was
found to be approximately ninety per.
cent of the true value as determined by
real estate transfers in that neigh
borhood Suppose for the purposes Of
this illustration that the real estate
depression accounts for a decrease of
ten per cent in value. The effect is
merely to bring the assessment to the
100 per cent demand by the law. One
is naturally inclined to ask why a real
estate depression is necessary to produce
a theoretically perfect tax assessment,
and why, if the assessment four years
ago was considered as nearly perfect as
1t could be, that assessment is inter-
preted now as having been ten per cent
of before the market for sales declined.
1t would be obviously impossible to
reassess every property every year. II
is to be granted that Assessor Richards,
following the law, has tried to the ut
most of his ability to make his assess
ments as near true value as he can.
But as long as real estate activity en-
tiers the picture at all as a gauge OF
that elusive true value" sought by the
assessor, 1t is passing strange that when
real estate hucsuates in the wrong d.
rection the ow,aers' tax bills show no
compromising decrease.
Assessments have been climbing
steadily since the full-value basis was
adopted in 1928 and normal increase
in values Is naturally to be expected.
But coupled with the climbing assess
ments, the tax rate has been either In
creasing or remaining stationary, and
the next years budget is predicated on
still greater increase in the tax rate.
Growth in population is supposed to
bear some definite ratio to increase in
the assessment base. What is this
ratio? It would be enlightening TO
know Since 1923 the Districts pop
ulation has increased by 32,466 persons,
according to the Census Bureau. In
the same period the assessment has In
creased $476, S00,732. That means that
for every person added to the popula-
ton, the assessment has increased $14,-
6S6. The average per capita real
estate assessment for cities Of the
United States other than Washington
studied by the Bureau of Efficiency Is
s1,48l. How does the load heaped on
Washington in the last seven years
compare with the increases in other
cities during the same period? No ex-
PLANTATION Of Washington's unprece-
dented increase in assessment Is COM
plete without consideration of the fact
that the city has been faced with the
necessity of producing this additional
revenue to finance huge budgets, with
the Congress refusing to meet the Fed
eral obligations which 1t lawfully i'm
posed and has been persistently
evading.