Evening star., 1936-08-08
ESTATES IN WEST
TO VOTE ON TAXES
PROPOSAL for Limitation OF
| Real Estate Levy to Be
! ON Ballots.

Oregon and Colorado have Joined
The States which will have on their
ballots this Fall proposal for limita-
tion of the tax on real estate. Otner
states in which such vote is already
assured are Washington and Georgia.
In Colorado an initiative petition to
write into the States constitution an
overall limit on the rate that could
be levied on property by all gov
ernmental units has received 7O,OO0
signatures, assuring the vote. In
Oregon. where $500 signatures were
needed for filing, an initiative petition
for q constitutional amendment limit
ing and reducing permissible taxes on
tangible property gained 21,OO0 sigma.
lures in approximately three weeks
time. The proposed Oregon amend
ment, sponsored by the Oregon Real
Estate Association, would place limit
on the rate Of the levy by the state
for all purposes on all real and tangi-
BILE personal property, this limit TO
be brought fractionally lower each
year unit the year 1912, and would
further limit each tax-levying body
within the State, progressively tight
ening the limitation annually until
the year 1912, and setting it as q
percentage of the 1885 rate.
Twice Endorsed in Washington.
e In Washington. where the statutory
overall tax limitation now in force,
already twice Endorsed by popular vote
l932 and 1880, is urged for re-
enactment, the initiative petition for
1t, recently placed on record, was the
largest ever filed in the State. 1t
carried 14l,2l7 signatures. The wide
number Of groups advocating hmita-
tion, led by the Washington Associa-
ton of Real Estate Boards, urge that
legislators be elected in November
who will act to write tax limitation
into the States constitution, making
frequent reaffirmationS unnecessary.
In Georgia, action of the Legislature
some months ago placed a constitu-
tional overall limitation on the gen.
eral property tax before the people
of the State for vote in November.
Kansas real estate and home owner
groups, as already announced, are
urging the present session Of the Leg
islature to bring an amendment for
constitutional overall tax limitation
before the electorate this Fall. In
PENNSYLVANIA the proposal urged by
the Pennsylvania Real Estate Asso-
ciation and leading Real Estate Boards
that there be set maximum millage
rate which could be levied against
real estate has been embodied in the
Zeisenheim bill.
Under the leadership Of the National
Committee on Real Estate Taxation
of the National Association Of Real
Estate Boards, campaigns for overall
limitations as first means OF bring
ing about a needed widening of the
tax base and a more equitable dis
tributien of the tax load are now
under way in most of the States not
already under such limits. Eight
States have overall tax rates.
Vote Assured in Michigan.
Meantime Michigan's far-reaching
proposal to abolish the ad valorem
method of taxing real and personal
property is assured of a vote OF the
people of the State in November. An
initiative petition for such an amend
ment to the States constitution, spon-
sored by a number of groups including
the Michigan Real Estate Association.
was filed July 2. It gained 276,211
signatures, well over twice the number
required.
Text of the proposed amendment is
as follows:
mo tax shall, from and after De-
cember 81, 1887, be assessed or levied
by the State or by or for the benefit
of any county, township. school dis
trict, city, village or other political
subdivision of the State upon real
property or tangible or intangible
personal property, except for the
payment of interest upon and princi-
pal Of obligations heretofore incurred;
nor shall any privilege, license or
occupational tax, other than those
now provided by law, be hereafter
assessed or levied upon the ownership,
possession or use Of real property or
tangible or intangible personal prop
erty. Income from real and personal
property may be taxed uniformly
with income from other sources. The
proceeds of all taxes upon incomes
shall be distributed to the several
counties, townships, school districts,
cities, villages and other political sub
divisions of the State, as may be
provided by law"