334 THE FISCAL PROBLEM IN MISSOURI
and $29.00 in 1928. The rate of increase was more gradual
than in per capita state taxes.
In 1928 state tax collections in Missouri were exceeded in
four of the eleven states used for purposes of comparison. On
a per capita basis state tax collections in Missouri amounted
to $9.50 in 1928, a smaller amount than in nine of the eleven
comparable states.
TAX ADMINISTRATION
The administration of the general property tax is admit-
tedly unsatisfactory. The administrative agencies include
the county and other local assessors, the county boards of
equalization, the State Tax Commission, and the State
Board of Equalization.
Although the legal standard of assessment for the general
property tax is true value in money, in practice the average
ratio of assessed valuation to true or full value for real estate,
as indicated by sales value, is found to be about 55%,. The
grand total valuation of all property for taxes of 1929
amounted to approximately $4.9 billion. Real estate ac-
counted for 729, of the total valuation, and the valuation of
town lots exceeded that for lands by approximately 509%.
Personal property valuations amounted to $632 million for
taxes of 1929, as compared with $920 million for taxes of 1921.
The trend in public utility valuations has been definitely
upward for a number of years.
The equalization process does not result in any appreciable
change in total valuations for the general property tax. For
taxes of 1928 the total valuation of real and personal property
as recommended by the State Tax Commission to the State
Board of Equalization was only 1.29, greater than that
reported by the assessors. The changes made by the State
Board of Equalization resulted in a decrease of about one
one-hundredth of 19, of the total as recommended by the
State Tax Commission.
The present methods of equalization, it is found, are not
effective in eliminating or reducing to a minimum the in-
equalities in assessments. Both the State Tax Commission
and the State Board of Equalization exercise certain func-
