The Unfair Tax Burden on Everett's Small Homeowners
Local labor advocates expose how corporations and land speculators pay only a fraction of their property taxes compared to the working class.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The county tax equalization board is now in session in the county building. For the benefit of the board, and the small home owner of Everett, we present the gross inequalities in taxation that favor large corporations and speculators. We urge our readers to demand that the tax burden now imposed upon the home owner be shifted to land corporations. Lots at Beverly Park are advertised at $375, yet are assessed at only $50, which is barely one-seventh of their market value. Similarly, property in Pinehurst and acreage owned by the Puget Mill Company and the Everett Improvement Company—valued between $300 and $500 an acre—are assessed at only $45 per acre. These enormous speculative holdings prevent city growth, as land is held at prohibitive prices while the small taxpayer shoulders the burden. Many citizens are even leaving for Canada to escape this unjust administration of tax laws.
“The small home owner has been paying the taxes of the corporations and real estate sharks long enough.”
Everett has long struggled with the tension between large-scale land development and the affordability of homes. This 1911 editorial mirrors contemporary debates about property tax assessment equity, the power of real estate holding companies, and the displacement of residents from a city they can no longer afford.
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