Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-05-01


TRADEs-ExHoRBITAN TAx-KILL-
ING THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE COL
DEN Eaa-WHAT IT'S EFFORTS WILL
BE.
&C., &C., &c.
The bill for assessment, levy, and collec-
lection Of taxes has passed both Houses Of
the General Assembly, and has been
placed in the hands of the Governor and
approved. The tax upon real and personal
estate remains unchanged fifty cents on
the 500 .value), but the rate upon nearly
all other subjects is largely increased-in
most instances doubled. The following
sections introduce very radical changes in
our laws:
SPECIFIC TAX ON MERCHANTS.
Every merchant shall pay a specific tax
for the privilege of selling in this State,
the amount Of which shall be determined
by the aggregate of the purchases OF the
said merchant during the period for which
said license is granted. If the merchant
has been in business as such, whether UNI
der license or not, in the county or cor
poration where he applies for license, for
twelve months next preceding, the pur-
chases made by him of goods, wares, and
merchandise during the succeeding year
shall be assumed to be at least equal to the
purchases of the preceding year; but it
may be determined that they will exceed
those of the preceding year. If the bust
| ness has only been carried on for part OF
| the preceding year, then the amount OF
purchases of the preceding year may be
| ascertained by adopting the purchases for
,,ol,r, ~ Ae fv,aw h0ci For.
| tanning the same for the entire year. If
the merchant is beginner, he shall state
the amount of his probable purchases for
and during the time the license he propo-
poses to obtain will continue. In all cases
the license shall specify the amount of
| goods to be brought under the same. 1t
The amount of the goods authorized to be
brought under the same. 1t the amount
of the goods authorized to be bought UNI
der such license shall have been bought
the license thereafter shall be deemed to
be void, but if the merchant desires an en-
1argement of the amount of goods, at first
cost valuation he shall be authorized to
buy, he may apply for a new assessment
and new license for the privilege of buy
ing the additional quantity Of goods to be
purchased. For the purpose OF ascertain
ing whether the amount of goods author
lied by such license have been purchased,
it shall be the duty of every merchant, on
the first days Of January, April, July, and
October of each year, to make report in
writing, on oath, to the commissioner OF
the revenue or assessor for the district in
which the merchant was licensed, showing
the amount of goods purchased by him
within the preceding three months. 1t
! any merchant shall fail to make such re-
| port the commissioner or assessor shall as
sumo that all the goods authorized to be
purchased under the license have been
bought, and shall proceed to make new
assessment, after exam ming the merchant
| under oath, and upon such other evidence
as he may be able to obtain in such man.
ner and to the effect he would do if appli-
cation had been made to him for an en-
largement of the license aforesaid. If
any person shall bring goods into this State
| at time when, by an assessment, he can
not procure license for the full term of
one year, and he desires to have such goods
sold by auction, the commissioner Or as
SCISSOR may assess the tax at rate equal
to the tax for one year. The stock of
goods on hand when a license is granted
at the first cost valuation shall be en-
braced and included in the amount of the
purchases of goods to be sold under the Ii
cense provided for by this section. Any
person violating the provisions of this Sec
ton shall pay fine of not less than five
hundred nor more than one thousand dol
| lars for each offence.
MERCHANTS LICENSE TAX.
1O4. On every license to a merchant or
mercantile firm the tax to be paid shall be
| graduated as follows: If the amount of
| purchases shall not exceed $4,000, the spe-
| cifc tax shall be ten dollars and for all
| purchases over two thousand dollars, and
less than sixty thousand dollars, there
shall be paid tax of one-half of one per
centum. Upon all purchases over sixty
thousand dollars and less than eighty thou
sand dollars, there shall be paid tax Of
forty cents on the one hundred dollars of
said purchases in excess of sixty thousand
dollars. Upon all purchases over eighty
thousand dollars, and less than one hun
dred thousand dollars, there shall be paid
tax Of thirty cents on the one hundred dol
lars of said purchases, in excess of eighty
thousand dollars. Upon all purchases over
one hundred thousand dollars there shall
be paid a tax of ten cents on the one hum
dred dollars of said purchases, in excess of
one hundred thousand dollars. The tax
imposed under and by virtue of this section
shall be in lieu of all tax for State purposes
on the capital actually employed by said
merchant OF mercantile firm in said bust
| ness. The tax in excess Of ten dollars i'm
posed by this section shall be paid in equal
instalments, OIL the 10th of January, 10th
of April, 10th OF July, and 10th of October
in each year, and shall be collected in the
same manner that license taxes are collect
ed. Merchant tailors, lumber merchants,
dealers in coal, ice, or wood shall be en-
braced in this section. But this section
shall not authorize any such person to sch
wine, ardent spirits, or mixture thereof.
COMMISSION MERCHANTS.
The tax on commission merchants Is
| about double, and it is provided that no
| commission merchant shall 'sell by SAM
pie any hogshead or box of unmanufac-
tured tobacco unless such hogshead or box
offered for sale be deposited in some place
in the city, town, Oh village where said to-
bacco is offered for sale. All tobacco sold
ed two dollars and fifty cents for each hogs
head or box weighing less than 800
! pounds, and ten cents per hundred, for
every hundred pounds in excess Of 500
| pounds SO sold, to be paid by the commits
sion merchant selling the same, to be as
certained and collected by the collector of
the city, town, or village where said tobac-
| co is sold.
| The specific license tax on every commits
sion merchant or firm shall be fifty dollars;
| but where his commissions shall exceed one
thousand dollars. the tax shall be sixty
| dollars, and ten dollars for each thousand
in excess of two thousand dollars.
HOW THE BILL WILL WORK.
That the full purport and bearing of the
bill may be seen at a glance, we extract
synopsis of its provisions which we find
well prepared and to hand in the Norfolk
"Landmark':
SYNOPSIS OF THE TAX
Glass Of the cities and towns. By the old
tax bill a. merchant doing a business of