Evening star., 1946-08-14
Homes Assessments
To Be Roised 20 Pct.
In District for 1947
Rates on Business
Property, Apartment
Houses Also TO Rise
By John W. Thompson, Jr.

A fiat 20 per cent increase in
assessments on all homes and
Othe" structures in residential
areas throughout the District, to
t. reflected first on tax bills in
Sep.emb"r, ;947, was announced
today by District Assessor Ed
"ard s. Dent.
Il. addition, Nj. Den said. as
S1slnlrt, 0. noSt 0u in"ss prop
IT :" tn ,,owltovu area and
ln;.'' y- h 2i,,-'2 $50 .,;iartmcnt
"ol., ~ u la;5eA q, m!deter-
H>in-,, .ayIa;. Ihl4: :1cf~usas are
81. ;,-.":!njH2:. ,f,er q study OF
70 G. "as-.
II. .a,io-s, apD"o, ed by the
i>ca.t y. .<Ss:Stant Assessors after
g no, D y year md half review
n ain.o5 $4,000 pieces of prop
o. N Ii ,ypeS, Will add from
ItQC5A,GGo 20 S175,000,000 to the
"a:nat.on o. taxable property here
@lh iii produce at current tax
.at2> rom %250O0O0 to s30O0,0O0
il -oott;ora! revenues.
Ilxa,lc Realty S1,395 O00, 900.
Trio. to the increases taxable real
2st2t. Taluation was set by Mr..
, n, t S1,395 600, 900.
The blanket increase for all
1uilGInGs in residential areas was
decided On after studying sales over
period of the past 25 to 30 years
AMI covering both high and low
marie 5, Mr.. Dent said.
1t as adopted as a pattern, ne
5Xpll ired, as a result of the ply
sicHl impossibility of inspecting all
Of tho thousands of dwellings for re-
As. essllent purposes.
The increase in residential assess
Hents -pplies only to the buildings
themselves and not to the land on
which they stand.
For example, if a piece of property
now were assessed at $1,000. in
cluding 5000 for a house and $4,000
for the land on which it stands,
the 20 per cent increase would apply
only to the $1,000 The increased
valuation, therefore, would be $1,000.
At the current tax rate of s175 per
Sl00 of assessed valuation. this
would mean an increase in the tax
bill OF $3.50
Rates Reduced in 1884.
Mr. Dent said the only other in
stance he could recall of a blanket
chang in assessments being applied
here was a 10 per cent reduction on
buildings spread out over 1884 and
1885 to aid District taxpayers suf-
fering from the depression years.
This cut was never restored.
While the additional revenue will
be most welcome to a city govern
ment apparently headed toward a
deficit by July. l948, Mr Dent in
sisted the city's financial plight had
nothing TO DO with the increase in
assessments.
JCAIilCb ouL llIdt lIlt DLSlI IL y
is required by law to assess real
estate for tax purposes at full value
and no less, He said the board be-
lieves the increases will more nearly
reflect the full and true normal
value of such property here in the
light of present inflated values.
The board used the period from
1888 to 194l as base for determin-
ing values. he indicated, because it
felt that values during this period
were more nearly normal.
Land Constantly Revalued.
The assessor explained the in
crease as applied to buildings only
in the residential areas by pointing
out that land is constantly being
revalued by his Office, whereas it has
been many years since any con-
siderable change has been made in
improvements.
This regular e-aSSeSSment of land
is also continuing independently of
the 20 per cent blanket increase
scheduled for the next fiscal year.
The new assessments will go on
the books by next January and be-
come effective the following July
unless disapproved by the Commits
sioners. The increase, therefore.
will not Je reflected on tax bills due
in March. 1947.