The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-23
DRASTIC CUTS
IN TAX VALUES
SEEN UNLIKELY
1882 ReaSSeSSment Should
Change Figures but Little,
Says State Official.
ASSESSORS END SESSION
Adopt Resolution Urging
Levy on Corporate, Per-
SonaI Income.

Slight, if any, reduction will be
made in valuation of real estate for
taxation purposes if county asses
sorS follow advice they received at
the close of their annual conference
with the state tax board today.
Complete reaSSeSSment of both
personal property and real estate
will be made next year under the
law which requires such revaluation
every four years.
Before closing the session the
assessors adopted a resolution call
ing for enactment of state personal
and corporate income tax laws
which will provide, however, that
where income is derived from real
property the proper exemptions be
made in order that there be no
double burden.
The admonition against great re-
duction in assessments was sounded
by Pliny Wolfard, state tax board
member, who addressed the final
meeting.
keaSSeSSment Difficult
New forms of raising revenues
must be devised to bring genuine
relief to the real property owner,
Wolfard advised. But he declared
the property tax ever must remain
the basic form of financing govern
mental expenditures.
ITO my mind it will be impossible
to establish any permanent and de-
pendable system of taxation that
does not have at its foundation a
general property tax" Wolfard de-
clared.
mo method of distribution of
this form of tax long can survive
that varies from the uniform rule.
Our duty remains to make a uni
form assessment of q just valuation
on all property, both personal and
real, in the state of Indiana.
ut is evident now that this will
be a difficult task for the coming
year.
Declining prices of land and its
products and declining rents during
recent years indicate a reduction
in the value of real estate.
Legislative Relief Needed
There is considerable speculation
as to what extent this will affect
the tax duplicate in a new assess
ment. If sale prices alone were to
control valuations, in some locali-
ties there might be sharp falling
off of value.
"But if principles laid down in
the statutes are adhered to the
fiuctuation from the present valu-
ations will not be great.
aside from the Importance of
finding the true basis values for
assessment purposes, it is most es-
Sential that there be an equitable
distribution of those values.
Until some relief is afforded by
legislation the general property tax
payer will continue to have diff
Guilty in meeting his obligations"
Hopeless Note Sounded
A note of hope1essness for re-
form by the special session method
was sounded at their meeting on
Tuesday afternoon by William A.
Hough, former state tax commits
sioner. He cited other states where
special sessions have been called
without success.
Chairman James E. ShowaIter of
the board made the closing remarks
and reported the meeting a success.
Phil Zoercher, veteran tax board
member, addressed the conference
Tuesday afternoon and upheld the
tax boards powers to dictate local
budgets, despite two recent rulings
to the contrary in Marion county
courts.
Pointing out that the board had
presented tax reform program at
the 1881 legislative session and it
had not been acted upon, Zoercher
predicted that better results might
he pXnpPtnd in 1000