The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-10-19
TAX INEQUALITY
is BLAMED ON
BOARDS POLICY
State Group Is Accused Of
Loading Burden on
Little Man.
Continued From Page One

manner in which the board Of re-
view and the state tax board have
created revenue losses exists IN val
uations Of four valuable apartment
buildings in the city. the Commo-
dore. Admiral, Balmoral and Buck
ineham. located on the east side of
Meridian street, north Of 'Thirtieth
street
According to the system Of deter
mining valuations used by deputies
Of John McCloskey. Center township
assessor, these four properties,
ground and buildings. have COM
bined valuation Of 1852 49O. which.
at the proposed s3.13 rate for 1884.
would yield tax revenue Of nearly
S21O00.
Apartment Owned by Butler
Due TO exemptions and decreased
valuations by the boards, they will
enrich the public Golfers by slightly
more than $4,000, paid on a com
bined valuation Of only s333O8O.
Basic reason for this unequal tax
distribution is the exemption from
any taxation Of the BalmoraI.
owned by Butler university under a
deed trom Arthur Jordan. local cap
italist, and appraised at $4,000.
When the Balmoral was taken
from the tax duplicates, it is alleged
that rentals we're reduced because of
the lower overhead. Owners of the
other three properties appealed for
reduction in their valuations. on
the grounds Of unfair competition.
State Board Cuts Valuation
As a result the board of review
cut the CommOdOres valuation from
s165 100 to S91 $50 and reduced the
Buckingham from $174,7O0 to SIC, TOO.
despite a previous 20 per cent re-
duction granted by Mr. McCloskey
under a general clash Of all yalua-
tions.
When the board of review refused
to act, the state board cut the Ad-
mirals valuation from S191 900 to
S136 800. In the meantime, Mr.
McCloskey appealed to the state
board on the Buckingham reduction
and succeeded in obtaining an in
crease to s1O4, 700.
The Commodore valuation never
was appealed. and its present tax
able valuation remains at S91 $50.
AS a result of the changes from
his assessments, Mr.. McCloskey
charges that his entire system of
valuations has been upset. He ex-
plains that each section of the city
is charted on a mathematical and
scientific basis to determine ground
valuations.
All Angles Considered
Corner influence. nearness to
main arteries and other value de-
termining factors are assessed on a
logical basis, he points out.
Despite these methods under
which valuations are determined,
the two appeal boards persist in
granting reductions which lead to
as many as a dozen demands for
prOportionate decreases by owners
Of nearby property.
Mr.. McClOSkey cites an example
to show the manner in which a re-
auction in valuation affects an en-
tire block. In considering this ex-
ample it should be borne in mind
that the properties mentioned had
benefited by the 20 per cent blanket
reduction in 1892.
Valuations Cut RuthIessIy
Ground occupied by the Gold
stein department store at the north
west corner of Washington and
Delaware streets was reduced by
the state board from $4,000 to
S26l 900 on an appeal.
Shortly after. an appeal was taken
by Philip Greenwald, owner of
property Immediately north of
GoldStein'S on Delaware street. and
the valuation was reduced from
1925 to $57.13O.
Adjoining Greenwald Is a Moyn-
ahan property the Union Title
building, at the southwest corner Of
Market and Delaware streets. The
state board ordered its valuation cut
from $4,000 to S149 $40.
S595,OOO to S2SO,OO0
There are cases in which sub
stantial reductions have been made
BY both the board of review and
the state board Prior TO the blan-
ket slash. the Hume Mansur build
ing on East Ohio street was as
sessed at $685. 900. After the cut,
the assessors appraisal of S476,000
was appealed to the board CT re-
view and reduced to $350,000.