The form of the assessment roll would be greatly simplified if the long descriptions which the assessors must now place upon their rolls were eliminated and in lieu thereof insert merely three numbers at the head of three separate columns; one for the section, another for the block number and the third for the lot number of the parcel assessed. As the law now stands, a long description of a parcel of real estate must be written three times, for the original and two copies of the assessment roll. When the tax is paid the long description must again be written upon the tax receipt, and the same description upon the corresponding stub. If the tax-payer asks for a bill in advance of payment, the description must again be written. If the taxes on any parcel are not paid to a town collector, he must make a return of such facts to the county treasurer, again writing out the description. If the taxes on the real property remain unpaid and the property is sold, the long description must be inserted in the advertisement of the sale, a matter of substantial expense. It is quite possible under the terms of the Tax Law, the Education Law and the Village Law that a long description might have to be written twenty or more times. We think this situation conclusively shows the economy and desirability of using the simpler form of section, block and lot number. We have yet to learn of any locality which has established the use of tax maps that is not so thoroughly satisfied that there is no thought of returning to the antiquated plan which often produces long and inaccurate descriptions. In many instances it would be unnecessary to map the entire town as it may contain cities or incorporated villages which already possess maps. Those communities can be properly indicated on the town map, and the work of the State Board and of the local assessors limited to the remaining area. As the State is now imposing a direct tax, it seems but proper that it should furnish the moderate fund that would be required TRUE CONSIDERATION IN DEEDS Much thought and legislation has been directed toward the correction of assessments by providing for reviews in the courts and for appeals to the State Board of Tax Commissioners. These are attempts to perfect the taxation structure by improvements to the superstructure to the neglect of the foundation. The corner-stone of the structure is a correct valuation by the local assessors. The general range of sales in a locality is the best evidence of value. If an assessor is not informed as to the range of sales, how can he properly make a valuation? The custom of late years has become so general of inserting nominal considerations in conveyances of real property that an examination of those conveyances is of practically no benefit to the assessor. He must rely either upon such rare documents as give the actual consideration, or upon hearsay in the community. This hearsay is often most unreliable, and frequently is more of a deception than a guide, as often fictitious considerations are inserted for the purpose of misleading prospective purchasers. There are market quotations of stocks and bonds, grain and produce and a thousand other commodities, so that an appraiser of those kinds of property has some records on which to base his judgment, but there are no market quotations on local real estate, and the difficult duties of the local assessor are made more difficult by the necessity of working upon either insufficient or misleading information. The criticism has often been made that there is no requirement upon a transfer of other classes of property to make any statement as to the consideration. As already stated, there is a market price on most commodities, but none for real property. No appraiser or assessor of real estate can make proper valuations unless he knows what other similar properties are selling for. Is it not better that those valuations be based upon accurate and reliable information, rather than upon mere rumor? Section 173 of the Tax Law specifically requires the State Board to visit every county of the State at least once in two years, and among other things to ascertain whether the assessors are complying with the provisions of the Tax Law requiring the assess ment of all property at full value. About two weeks before making a visitation to a county, the State Board forwards to the local assessors a blank which, among other things, requests a statement by the local assessors of all real property located in their tax district, which has been conveyed in the two years since the last visitation, setting forth the name of the grantor and the grantee, the dates of the conveyance and record, the consideration for each conveyance and the last assessment upon the property so conveyed. The purpose of this is, of course, to ascertain the ratio of assessment value to selling price. It is a matter of great importance to ascertain that ratio accurately, because it is upon such investigations that the State Board of Tax Commissioners reports to the State Board of Equalization the rate of assessment in the various counties, and it is largely upon such report that equalization is made and the State tax distributed. We earnestly recommend that a law be passed requiring the disclosing to local assessors of the actual consideration in any conveyance of real property, either at or before the time of recording. If necessary the assessor may be required to keep secret the amount of such consideration, if it is not disclosed by the conveyance itself. An amendment of 1911 requires that hereafter the State Board of Tax Commissioners shall equalize their assessment at full value of all special franchises to the local rate in the tax district where the special franchise is operated. At the visitations above referred to, when the local assessor is asked to produce his list of sales showing the comparison between assessed value and selling price there is the monotonous answer that they are unable to give the sales price because a nominal figure is stated in the conveyance and the parties refuse to disclose the amount. As a result of this situation, the State Board is unable satisfactorily to acquire the knowledge that the Tax Law directs them to acquire, and which they are supposed to possess when they meet with the State Board of Equalization to fix the average rate of assessment in the various counties for the distribution of the State Tax, and which they are supposed to possess when they are required to equalize their full RAILROAD ASSESSMENTS. In view of the great importance both to local taxpayers and to the railroads of the State, the valuations placed upon that class of property should be accurate, and in view of the very wide discrepancies in assessments upon that class of property, even in adjoining towns where the physical situation is much the same, we are constrained to earnestly renew the recommendation in our reports for the years 1907 and 1908 that the assessment of this class of property, or at least of its main stem or tracks, should be made by the State Board of Tax Commissioners. That Board is now required to assess all occupations of the highways by railroad companies, but the moment the track leaves the highway the local assessor assumes jurisdiction. We believe this matter to be of sufficient importance to justify a constitutional amendment, if you are advised that such amendment is necessary. The State Board now possesses the expert engineers and the necessary facilities for making such valuations, while it is only in the rarest instances that the local assessors has had engineering experience such as would qualify him to put a valuation upon a railroad constructed across his tax district. We believe that it would be much fairer, both to the locality and the corporations affected, if the valuations were made by the State Board and certified in the same manner and at the same time with the valuations that they now place upon occupancies of the highways by such corporations. ASSESSMENTS. The total assessed value of property within the State for the year 1911 is not furnished, for the reason that the necessary data have not been produced from several counties. The total assessed value for the year 1910 has already been stated in our previous |