FARM TAXES IN MASSACHUSETTS 



99 



in nearly 100 years. In the Connecticut Valley, wi.ere some of the best farm 

 land m the state is located, the assessed valuations of many parcels of hiah- 

 Triced market garden, tobacco and onion land have not been revised for ten 

 or fifteen years. In other towns assessments have been revised as property values 

 increased, with inequalities between towns as the result. Occasionally assessors 

 will revalue a property only after a sale, and in such cases there i; resulting 

 mequahty between properties in the same town. New buildings are usually 

 valued at a higher percentage of their actual value than old buildings As a 

 result, farm property with good, well-kept buildings is valued at a higher 

 percentage of actual value than farms with old buildings. This was shown by 

 the records in every town with sufficient records to furnish a fair sample 



This IS partly accounted for by the fact that old farm buildings were as- 

 sessed years ago, when building costs were low. In most small towns the de- 

 preciation on buildings is not considered, nor is any real attempt made to 

 measure appreciation in value for the farm as a whole. If a normal deprecia- 

 tion charge were made against the original value of many of our farm build- 

 ings they would be worthless, but appreciation in the dollar value of the farm 

 as a whole has more than offset depreciation of buildings in many cases 

 Actually many farm buildings are worth considerably more today than wh n 

 they were built, while those constructed during the war have fallen In Jllue 

 due to abnormal building costs during that period 

 and"bnnf '"''"^ in assessing farm property is that the division between land 



!re wo th"^' "", ." ''''"' ''''''''''■ '" ^^"^^ '«-^'"- the buildings alone 

 are worth as much for residence purposes as the entire farm, while in other 

 nstances the land is the valuable item and the farm is worth as much wit ou 



L:d ai"d b^uiidtgr '' ^"^' ^"' *'^" *" '^''' ^" -'^''-y ^'^''^^- ^^t-- 



Assessment of Livestock. 



Assessed values of livestock vary even more widely from market values 

 than do real estate values. Table 4 shows the variations between assessed and 

 owners' values of the taxable livestock on the farms previously con dered 

 Assessed values averaged 65 per cent of owners' value, or about 12 percent 

 higher than for real estate. Averages for individual to^ns varied from 51 " 

 cent in Town No. 7 to 80 per cent in Town No 3. Livestock assessments n 

 the dairy towns m the eastern end of the state averaged about 66 per cent of 



Table 4.-Relation Between Owners' Value and Assessed Value of Taxable 

 Livestock per Farm in Massachusetts in 1923. 



Ratio of 

 Assessed Assessed to 

 Value Owners' Value 

 (Per cent) 

 $ 1,081 50,5 



1,103 80.3 



993 69.8 



1,926 59.7 



640 67.9 



1,178 64.8 



1.126 6L5 



