Evening star., 1933-04-02

gree onset the erecC on employ
pal service of those reductions.
| Of revenue potentialities, the revised
assessment figures, ETC., and other data
not available at this time.
But Congress could appropriately In
sert an amendment to the bill declar-
ing that 1t is the intention of Congress
that there be local tax reduction, and
that the Commissioners are directed to
make such reductions in the rates on
personal property and real estate that
conditions in their Judgment may die
/ tate.
There should be some relief to the
real estate taxpayers Of Washington, in
line with the relief that taxpayers Of
other cities are voting themselves. In
other cities assessments are being low
cred as property values decline. Here
the total Of assessments has been con-
stantly increasing.
ASSCSokuCuto UOAuB OOWus
Census reports on the financial sta
tistics of cities for 1881 are not yet
available in printed form, but the ex-
perts who have examined them say they
indicate the general trend downward
of assessments everywhere. and that
the FIRST scattering reports for the year
1882 show the decrease Is being con-
tinued. New York City has Topped a
cool billion from its assessment.
Other cities are reducing their as
sessments or their tax rates or both.
As a rule, the cities which follow the
practice OF assessing at low percent
age Of true value and which fix a high
tax rate, lower the tax rate rather
than the assessment to give the tax
payers relief. Cities which prefer to
assess at a high percentage of true
value, and low rate Of taxation, lower
their assessments. retaining the tax
rate. As the tax rate is multiple Of
the final tax-meaning nothing when
taken alone-it makes no difference
whether the assessment Is lowered and
the tax rate retained, or whether the
tax rate is lowered and the assessment
allowed to remain. Either produces
the desired relief by lowering the tax
burdei..
Taxes Of 64 Cities Studied.
Last year the Citizens Joint Com
mittee on Fiscal Relations Between the
United States and the District Of Co.
lumbia made an extensive study of tax
burdens in the 64 cities of the United
States exceeding 125,o00 in population.
As part of the study. comparisons be-
tween those 64 cities were extended,
on the basis of later figures Q930, and
applied to six cities. These cities were ::
Baltimore, the nearest large city and
the largest city of adjacent Maryland:
Richmond. the capital of adjacent vir-
ginia; New Orleans, the largest city
in Louisiana and the metropolis Of the
South; Minneapolis, the largest city in
Observation-Disclosures and New Or
leans, in addition. being the cities near
est in population to Washington; St.
Louis, the largest city in Missouri,
larger than Washington, and Indian
apohs, smaller than Washington and
the largest city in Indiana. These
cities, in addition, are all progressive,
we'll known and representative cities
in the United States.
Financial statistics relating to gov
eminent in these cities were compared
on the basis Of 1880 fgures-those be-
ing the latest then available. Last
Of those cities asking two questions Cd
week The Star sent kilograms to each
whether there had been any reduction
in the tax rate since 1880 and ca
whether assessments had been reduced.
Summary Of Answers.
The answers are interesting and are
summarized as follows:
Baltimore-The city Is completely
reassessed every five years, about
2l5,o00 pieces of property being re-
assessed each year. The city's real
estate assessment dropped from ST.
20l, ,706,652 in 1894 to $1,182 2,904,2l2
in 1892. There was another drop
from the 1882 figure to $1,15s,9o6
697 in 1933-making a total real es-
799,955 since 1881. So far this year
the assessments have decreased an
other $4.c00,0o0. Because of obliga-
| tons coming due In 1888, the tax