The Mystery of the Altered State Tax Law
A suspicious, unexplained edit to an enrolled bill threatens to protect railroads from paying their fair share of taxes.
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.
Some one has changed a word in the enrolled bill which virtually defeats the object of the state board of equalization. The purpose of the change is not clear. It has been suggested that it was done to enable counties that so desired to place a high assessment upon railroads. It is more probable that it was done to enable the railroads to resist payment of taxes on account of unequal assessment, or to tender payment on the basis of the lowest assessment they can secure in any one county. What is needed is a state board of railroad commissioners, who shall make one, equable assessment for the entire state. Such occurrences are getting too common, and the author, if discovered, should be severely punished. A few years ago a similar action defeated a constitutional amendment in Iowa, and caused no end of litigation.
“Such occurrences are getting too common, and the author, if discovered, should be severely punished.”
The struggle for fair tax assessment of corporate infrastructure remains a cornerstone of Washington civic life. Legislative 'technicalities' that favor industrial giants over municipal coffers have haunted the state's budget process for over a century.
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