The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-25
Ritllulond 4lspatth.
MONDAY............M MARCH Is, 1857
Important Changes I'm the State As.
sessment LAWS.

Important Changes I'm the State As.
sessment Laws.
We have obtained an official copy Of the
law recently passed by the Legislature for
the assessment of property, and below we
note all the changes made in the law pre-
viously in force. 1t will be seen that while
there are very few changes, some OF them
are important. We note them in the order
in which they are made in the act, as fol-
lows:
REAL ESTATE EXEMPT.
Real estate belonging to public libraries
or theological seminaries is added to the
list of real estate exempt from taxation,
so that the section as amended now reads !:
"All real estate used for the erection Of
churches or for divine worship, and for
parsonage, or for a public library, not ex-
ceeding the quantity allowed by law to be
held for such purposes; public burylng
grounds, appropriated and not for sale; or
real estate belonging to any county, city,
or town, and used for public or cha
ritable purposes, and not held or leased
out for profit; or belonging to incor-
porated colleges, and academies, and to
free schools, and theological semina-
ries, and used for college Or school pur-
poses; or to the University Of Virgi-
nia; to the Virginia Military Institute !;
to the institution for the education Of the
deaf and dumb and the blind to the lu-
natic asylums; to orphan asylums; to the
Ladies' Mount Vernon Association exclu-
sively to the Commonwealth armories be-
longing to military organizations organized
by the laws of this State, and used exclu-
sively for military purposes; and all such
estate used exclusively for the safe-keep-
ing of fire engines and for the meeting OF
fire companies, whether owned by fire
company or by city or town-shall be ex-
empt from taxation Provided, however,
That nothing herein contained shall be con-
strued to exempt from taxation any lot or
building partially or wholly used as resi-
dence, or for any private purpose, except
as hcreinbefore provided"
In subsequent section, all the books,
apparatus, and furniture of public libraries
and theological seminaries is added to the
list of personal property exempt from tax
alton.
CAPITATIoN TAX ON NEGROES.
The following addition is made in refer
ence to the capitation tax: "In entering
the names of male negroes, the commits
sioner shall state in whose employment
such negroes may be, if employed, or shall
otherwise describe their residence or en-
ployment, so as to enable the officer col
lecting the taxes to identify the negroes
thus entered on the books of the commits
Sioner."
AS material changes have been made in
the three following sections, we publish
them in full as they now stand:
COMPENSATION OF COMMISSIONERS.
al. Every commissioner of the revenue
shall be entitled to receive, in considera-
ton of his services, to be paid on or before
the lst day Of September, out of the trea-
sury, upon the warrant of the Auditor of
Public Accounts, a commission of four per
cent. on the amount of taxes lawfully
assessed by him on persons, on real and per-
sonal property, income, and salaries, within
the preceding twelve months. But where
taxes assessed in any district in county
exceed $4,000, the commission allowed on
the excess shall be only one and one-half
per cent; end where the said taxes as
sessed in any district in a town exceed
$4,000, the commission allowed on the
excess shall be only one and one-fourth
of one per cent.
as. The preceding section shall not
have the effect to reduce the compensation
to each of the commissioners Of the coun-
ties of Bath, Carroll, and Prince William,
and the corporation Of Danville, below the
sum of one hundred and twenty-five dol
lars; and each of the commissioners of the
counties of Grayson and Giles, and the
city of Williamsburg, below the sum of
one hundred dollars and the allowance to
any commissioner of any county not men
toned in this section, now existing, or
which may be hereafter created, shall, at
the election of the commissioner, be the
commissions allowed in the next preceding
section, or specific allowance Of two
hundred and fifty dollars. The Auditor
of Public Accounts shall also pay to the
several commissioners all postage advanced
by them in the transmission Of their books,
or any correspondence touching the duties
of their office, and fee of ten cents for
each birth and death registered and re-
turned by them"
: "94. Savings banks and insurance COM
panies incorporated by this State shall, in
July and January of each year, either de-
clare dividend of profits arising out of
the operations of such savings banks and
insurance companies for the six months
ending on the first day Of July and January
next preceding, or determine their inability
to do so. If dividend be declared of as
much as three per centum of its capital,
as herein defined, the said institution and
company shall cause tax to be paid into
the treasury, and the same shall be retain
ed from the dividend on which it is.pay-
able. If there be no dividend, or if such
dividend be not as much as three per
centum of such capital, as herein defined,
then such institution and such company
shall pay into the treasury tax on its
capital. For this purpose the capital
stock shall be held to consist of the
value of the assets held as capital and
money deposited. Between the lst and
18th of July and January of each year
such institution and company shall certify
to the Auditor of Public Accounts, on the
oath of it's chief accounting officer, the
amount of the dividend declared, if any,
and of its capital where no dividend has
been declared, and shall pay the tax herein
imposed into the treasury. The tax hereby
imposed on money deposited in such bank
may be retained by such bank from the de-
positors. If any such institution or company
fail to make such report and pay such tax,
il shall be liable for the same, and forfeit
not less than $500 nor more than $4,000"
TAX on DIVIDENDS AND on INTEREST TO BE
RETAINED AND PAID DIRECTLY INTO THE