Utah Enquirer | 1888-08-03 | Page 1 | Raising Taxes

crar nn aran M UTAH CO 20 PEK CENT till LABORS OF thi CP merchandise ff ioney and clcil estate go op today to day july 31 alie territorial board of equalization completed its labors for 1888 and mado its report to the territorial auditor of public accounts this board was created by an act of the legislature approved march ath 1888 territorial and school taxes between the various counties of tho territory for the years 1888 and 1889 the board was made to consist of seven members and its first day of meeting was fixed on the third monday in juno it was gavro power to visit any part of the territory and summon witnesses to ascertain the actual and assessed value of property and to compare one county with another having completed this labor the board was given ten days notice to the coulty court of any county in which it was proposed to increase the assessed valuation that the increase might bo resisted tho action of alie board in regard to the assessed valuation of property in any county was made final and the counties are bound by its orders A report of its labors has to bo made on or before the first of august in each acar in pursuance of the provisions of aliis law alio legislature elected as members of tho board of equalization elias A smith of salt lake county alio was made chairman james T hammond of cache county who was elected secretary charles C richards of county hobort C lund of washington Washing tan county jonathan S pago of utah county L S hills of salt lake county and E C chambers of summit county on monday june 18 the board met in salt lako city organized ana agreed upon a course of procedure such of the counties as could b visited personally the board traveled to those wore salt lake davis utah weber toselo box elder summit cache morgan wasatch juab and sanpete San pete those whom thac board could not visit were sent to the members of the county courts consulted and were requested to name representative men as witnesses in relation to tho subject under investigation these witnesses tho board caused bo subpoenaed and their testimony was obtained in salt lake county 45 witnesses testified in davia 15 utah 27 bobor 23 12 box elder 13 summit 14 cache 18 morgan 7 wasatch 8 san poto 27 juab J washington 2 kane 2 3 millard 2 beaver 2 uin tab 2 emery 2 and iron 1 in addition there wore 13 witnesses as to general properties making a total 01 aag san juan bich diute piute and garfield counties failed to respond to tin invitation of tho board and there was not time to vahit them after a careful inquiry as to the value of property in each of the counties the board drew up its conclusion as to the comparative assessment ib the various counties it was found that in eleven box elder weber davis mogan summit wasatch thoele tooele utah juab ano millard tho valuation of property was too low and tho county courts were notified on july 17 to appeal ly representative on july 28 in thia city to oppose the contemplated in create all but millard responded and on being confronted with thi facts in possession of the board acknowledged that the proposed change as and it was therefore ordered made there were a number of matters il relation to general properties that thi board bad not sufficient timo to dea with fully though steps tadeu to remedy any evil that existed intha y af unequal taxation it was found haac sheep were assessed uniformly at the rate of per head cattle and horses however were dif fervently ferent ly treated in some caseb flooded stock was assessed separately from the common kinds whilo IL lome instances all were put in at th same valuation as that of the common breeds in relation to other properties thoro was sometimes a great dis para gement these facts were callec to the attention of tho county courts with a recommendation that the disa roe ments be rectified of the members of tho board have attended to its business regularly and almost without interruption hiie two members selected as liber als not as attentive mr cham bars being able to c attend on one occasion only and that when summia county was visited mr hills wa with the board at tho in webar davis morgan and utah counties alit effect of tho boards action will bo to slightly increase the income from territorial and school taxes in the counties where the assessment is increased tho territorial tax is three mills on the dollar the school tax is the bame and in all of the counties except summit and utah the county tax is six mills in summit the county court has fixed tho rate at four mills and in utah at five the increase made is on tho present assessed calup and not on tho actual value that is choro property has been valued at 1000 in a county oliero an increase of 25 per cent is ordered lt will be listed on the assessment roll at 1250 tho effect of this really is to tako property that is assessed at about 35 percent of its market value and bring it up to 49 per cent or throughout the territory the average is brought to a little under 60 per cent the report of the board iza tion made before its to day in regard to iho in tho eleven counties named is as follows SALT LAKE CITY july to the honorable nepon W clayton I 1 auditor of public accounts for utah territory dear sir in pursuance of law the territorial isoard of equalization of assessment of territorial and territorial school taxes for the territory of utah hereby report that said board has made the following changes in the assessed value of the different classes of property for the year 1888 as hereinafter enumerated in the following named counties of this territory to wit in box elder county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 25 per cent in weber county the assessed value of all real estate has boon changed by increasing creasing im the same 25 per cent the assessed value of merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 25 per cent the assessed value of all money loaned on hand or on deposit has been changed by increasing the same 25 per cent in davis county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent the assessed value of all merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cont in morgan county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent in summit county the assessed valued of all merchandise has been change by increasing the same 40 per cent in wasatch county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent the assessed value of all merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 50 per cent in thoele tooele county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent the assessed value of all merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent in utah county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 25 per cent the assessed value of all merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 10 per cent in juab county the assessed value of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent thi assessed iss essed value of all merchandise ha been changed by increasing the 10 per cent in county the assessed alue of all real estate has been changed by increasing the same 40 or cent in millard county tho assessed balue of all merchandise has been changed by increasing the same 40 per cent very respectively ELIAS A SMITH chairman JAS T secretary C CHARLES C JONATHAN S PAGE LEWIS S HILLS members of said board neica