Chicago, R. I. & G. Ry. Co. v. Ratliff
Chicago, R. I. & G. Ry. Co. v. Ratliff
Opinion of the Court
Appellant railway company filed this suit March 12, 1914, against the county judge, county commissioners, and the tax collector of Carson county to restrain the collection of certain taxes assessed against it. Briefly stated, the railway company’s claim is that it was the custom by common consent to assess property in Carson county for taxation on a basis of one-third of its actual value, and that the intangible property of the' railway company, as determined by the state tax board was assessed at its full value in Carson county, and taxes were assessed against it and attempted to be colleet- *572 ed on the basis of its full value instead 'of on the common basis of one-third of its value. This it is claimed amounted to a discrimination and lack of uniformity in taxation, operating against appellant, and from which it prayed to be relieved. The amount of this excess tax to be collected, was alleged to be $1,700.59. The defendants denied that it was customary in Carson county to assess property at one-third of its real or fair market value, and claims that all property was assessed at its full and true value, except the property of the railway company in Carson county, which had probably been assessed at less than its full and true value, rather than overvalued by the board of equalization. There was a trial before the court, and from a judgment rendered against the plaintiff, this appeal is prosecuted.
Appellant offered evidence to show that the rough and unimproved lands of Carson county, adapted to grazing purposes, were of the reasonable value of $3 to $6 per acre, but that these lands were accepted for taxation purposes at from $1 to $2 per acre; that the better lands, smooth and improved and adapted to cultivation and in cultivation, were of the reasonable market value of $10 to $25 per acre, but that they were assessed at from $3 to $6 per acre. It was further alleged that the average value of lands throughout the county, belonging to resident owners, was $3.42 per acre, and for lands belonging to nonresidents, $2.41 per acre; that the horses and mules in said county were of good quality and in good condition, and worth from $100 to $200 per head; that the cattle were in the main of good breed and' worth from $40 to $60 per head; that horses were assessed at an average value of $40 per head, and cattle at $13.41 per head.
Appellee insists that even though the evidence should show a low valuation upon the property of individuals in the county, that the board of equalization has also placed a value on appellant’s property proportionately lower than that placed on property generally; and in support of this contention they show that, according to a computation made by the railroad commission in 1910, the value of appellant’s property in Carson county was $423,890.25. According to the statement filed by appellant’s officials with the tax commissioner of the state on February 12, 1913, betterments to the extent of 50 per cent, had been added to the value of appellant’s property since the valuation made by the railroad commission; that the actual assessment against appellant for the year 1913, in Carson county, shows a valuation of tangible property amounting to $1S9,540; that its intangible property was valued at $268,515,- and rolling stock of the value of $57,335, making a total of $515,390.
The court filed no findings of fact and conclusions of law, but, according to this evidence showing 31.59 miles of road in the county, a full valuation of appellant’s property 'for 1913 would have been $635,677.05. We are inclined to the view that this contention merits consideration. It is true appellant’s property, as listed, is not affected by unfavorable crop conditions in the same proportion as would be the real estate and personal property belonging to the individuals of the county.
We have carefully reviewed all the evidence, and while the rendition is not exactly as we would have made it, appellant has not presented such a case as would warrant this court in reversing the judgment.
It is contended under the sixth assignment that the board of equalization acted upon false, illegal, and unauthorized circumstances, in deciding that lands, cattle, horses, and other property had no cash market value on January 1, 1913, and in holding that such properties should be valued upon their revenue producing qualities. As heretofore stated, the county judge and commissioners decided that there was no cash market value for such property on that date, and that its real value must be the basis of the assessment. We think the court did not err in arriving at what was a fair cash value for the property in taking into consideration the rental value of the land and the revenue producing qualities of all property. Lufkin Land & Lbr. Co. v. Noble, 127 S. W. 1093.
The judgment is affirmed.
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Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.