8 STATION BULLETIN 346 



and cities to other units of government are derived from the levy 

 against property, although, technically, tax revenues are not general- 

 ly earmarked for any specific purpose according to their source. 



Property taxes increased from approximately six and one-half 

 million in 1914 to more than 19 million in 1938 and would have ex- 

 ceeded 20 million from 1939 to 1941 had not the direct state tax been 

 discontinued (Table 1). This phenomenal rise is nearly threefold, 

 and with the exception of a decline in 1932 and again in 1933 the rise 

 has been consistent. The most rapid increase occurred during the 

 five-year period from 1918 to 1922, the late war years, and the period 

 immediately following. Nearly as rapid a rise occurred from 1933 to 

 1936, a period particularly marked by heavy expenditures for relief. 



The ])roperty tax levy in each town is spread proportionately over 

 the taxable property. If the valuation of property increased in the 

 same proportion as the taxes levied against it there would be no 

 change in the rate of taxation. Taxable wealth, however, has not 

 kept pace with local appropriations, and therefore the tax rate has 

 necessarily increased. The total valuation increased consistently 



Table 1. Assessed Valuation of New Hampshire Towns and Cities, Taxes 

 Assessed Locally, and Taxes per $100 of Valuation, by Tax Years, 

 1914 TO 1939* 



Tax year 



Assessed 



valuation 



in thousands 



Taxes assessed localb 



Property 



Total 



Taxes per 



$100 of 



valuation 



1914 

 1915 

 1916 

 1917 

 191S 

 1919 

 1920 

 1921 

 1922 

 1923 

 1924 

 1925 

 1926 

 1927 

 1928 

 1929 

 1930 

 1931 

 1932 

 1933 

 1934 

 1935 

 1936 

 1937 

 193.S 

 1939 

 1940 

 1941 



$390,878 

 398,845 

 410,151 

 428,107 

 453,328 

 469,858 

 511,457 

 531,154 

 566,469 

 574,352 

 585,423 

 597,036 

 620,524 

 612,011 

 618,850 

 622,977 

 625,443 

 623,382 

 590,805 

 559,782 

 561,766 

 558,986 

 548,432 

 551.464 

 553,391 

 550,113 

 552.478 

 559,419 



$ 



6,449,447 

 6,721,361 

 7,075,763 

 7,603,332 

 8,427,741 

 10,731,600 

 12,126,678 

 13,154,191 

 13,828,115 

 14,036,745 

 14,599,100 

 16.043,523 

 16,543,490 

 17,124.689 

 17,414,924 

 17,442,984 

 17,790,268 

 18,107,716 

 16,381,574 

 15,364,399 

 16,091,073 

 17,718.337 

 18,824,376 

 18,780,109 

 19,262,661 

 18,957,039 

 18,856,456 

 18,745,050 



* Annual reports of the Slate Tax Coinmi 



i 



