Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1873-06-06
Circular from the Comptroller.

me STATE: 81 50
After consultation with the Attorney
| General upon all doubtful points presented
| to me in the construction of the assessment
law, submit the following for the instruc-
| ton of the Tax Assessors. and information
| of the tax payers of the State:
| l. 1t is not necessary for the Assessors to
furnish schedule to, and require return
| from those citizens who have no real es-
tate, and not over q thousand dollars
worth of personal property.
2. Property is to be assessed to the party
who owned. or claimed to own, it on the
10th day of January. Any change of prop
erty or ownership since that time does not
affect this rule.
| 8. If religious, charitable, scientific,
| literary or educational institution has more
than fifty thousand dollars worth of prop
erty, the excess in value is taxable, though
used for the purpose for which such insti-
| tuition was created.
4. If an agricultural or mechanical asso-
citation owns real estate worth more than
| ten thousand dollars, the excess in value is
| taxable, though used for agricultural or
mechanical purposes.
5. Any person entitled to an exemption,
| must claim it in the district or ward where
| he resides, or if it is corporation, insti-
tuition, or association, where it is located.
6. All growing crops, of whatever ma
| ture or kind, are exempt from taxation.
| z. Property must be assessed in the dis
| trict or ward in which it lies at the time
| of assessment, except stock in banks.
s. If the description of real estate can
| not be written out, as required by law, in
| the blank form furnished by the Assessor,
| then the tax payer can write it out on pa
| per, and make it part of his schedule by
attaching it to the blank.
| 8. Under section Z, subsection /, of the
act, each bank or incorporated company
| must report the amount of capital stock
paid in. Upon this amount the bank or
| incorporated company is not taxable.
| 10. [Omitted in circular before us.-EDs.
CHRONICLE.1
IL. The ''other assets mentioned in SUBJ
section 4 of section Z, refer to "Other as
sets' of a like character to those montion-
ed in the same subsection, and not to
other assets mentioned in other sub-sec-
lions of the same section.
II. All bonds, stocks and other like Sc
curities on persons or corporations located
in this State unless exempt by the laws of
the United States or this State, have to be
returned for taxation adUalOrens.
Is. Mules are taxable and should be so
returned.
H. In returning the articles mentioned in
the 9TH and Sth subsections of section Z,
value of each item.
15 The items of personal property men,
toned in the 10th head of the blank sched-
ule are so inserted for the convenience of
the tax payer.
16. Sections and 10 of the law where
they speak of banks or banking assOcia-
tions apply to bank corporations. Section
8 is applicable to individual bankers.
Stockholders in bank or other joint stock
company, must report the number and
value of their shares of stock to the asses
sor of the district or ward in which said
bank or joint stock company is located,
and not elsewhere.
II. Merchants pay their privilege tax to
the Clerk of the County Court. They also
return and pay their ddUdtOren1 tax on
merchandise to the County Court Clerk.
They also return to the County Court Clerk
the amount and value of notes, due bills,
etc., mentioned in subsection of section
Z, after deductions hereinafter to be speci-
fed, which they own as merchants, and
pay the tax on these also to the County
Court Clerk. 1t will be seen therefore that
merchants make all their returns and pay
all their taxes as merchants to the County
Court Clerk. AS individuals they return
to the Assessor and pay to the Collector.
Is. In assessing, under section %, notes,
due bills, etc., therein mentioned, all bona
fide debts of the tax payer incurred in con-
Quoting his regular business and pertaining
to the same business out of which arose |
the notes, due bills, etc., are to be deducted |
from the valuation of said notes, due bills, |
etc.
49, The schedule of tax payer is not |
complete without the oath. The law pre-
scribes it, and know of no cOnstru ction
which can abrogate it or by which it can
be evaded.
Those who fail or refuse to take the oath,
subject themselves to assessment by the
Assessor and the penalties prescribed by
section 81. BY section SIS of the code, the
Assessor complete list of his property
subject to taxation of every description, de-
scribing his land so as to identify it; and
by section SIS the taxpayer, if he failed to
give in a list, was to be assessed double
tax upon the assessment of his property
made by the Assessor. By section 573 the
taxpayer was required to swear that his
list contained "all and every item" of his
taxable property.
20. Under section SO all clerks, clerks
and masters, receivers and commissioners,
are required to make a return of the prop
erty, moneys, credits and effects held by
them in either of said capacities, separate
from their individual returns. The agents
and attorneys mentioned in that section
are the agents and attorneys Of non-resl-
dents of or absentees from the State.
q. Should the County Courts allow COM
pensation to the Assessors additional to
that allowed by Section As, I shall not pre-
vent nor interfere.
The Assessors are not, nor is the Comp
troller responsible for the law. Their du-
ty is to see to its enforcement in such man.
ner as will most promote the interests of the
State, without doing injustice to any
class of the people. TO those who
do not comprehend the requirements of
the act, every admissible indulgence
should be extended. Those who openly
defy the law, that they may continue to
screen from taxation that portion of their
wealth which has heretofore been invisi-
BILE to the public eye, and thereby avoided
the payment of its share of the expenses
Of the State, deserve no sympathy from
nor from those who honestly con-
tribute their proportion of the taxes which
go to the support of the government.