Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1876-10-03
THE BULLION TAX.

taxed o0OOt t0o0 uuucIotOou' We Fo
ssnt the following facts with regard
thereto: Article y Of the Constitution,
relates wholly to taxation, and reads MS
follows: "Ssction l. The Legislature
shall provide by law for a uniform ana
equal rate of assessment and taxation.
aud shall prescribe such regulations as
shall secure a just valuation and tax
alton of all property. real. personal and
posaessory, excepting mines and mining
claims, the proceeds of which alone
shall be taxed. and also such property AS
may be exempted by law for municipal,
educational, literary, scientific. religious
or charitable purposes. This Is the
Constitutional provision under which
WAS passed in 1871 An Act for the tax
alton of the ret proceeds of the mines.
In Section of that Act We find all that
concerns this present relation. SAID
Section reads as follows:
SECTION /. All ores, tailings, and
mineral bearing material. of whatever
character. shall be assessed for purposes
of taxation, for State and county pur
poses, in the following manner: From
the gross WELD. return. or value OF all
ores. taiIings or mineral bearing mate
rial, of whatever character. there shall
he deducted the actual cost of extracting
said ores or minerals from the mine; the
actual cost of saving said tailings; the
actual cost Of transportation OF SAID
ores, mineral bearing material or taii-
ipCs. to the place of reduction or sale,
aud the actual cost of such reduction or
sale: and the remainder shall be deemed
the net proceeds, and shall be assessed
and taxed as provided for in this Act:
Dror;de.l. that in no case whatsoever
shall The whole amount Of deductions
allowed to be made 10 this Section from
the gross Yield, return or yalne OF said
ore, mineral bearing material. or tau
ings, exceed the percentage OF gross
Weld, value or return OF such ore. min
erals or tailings. as hereinafter specified
On al! ores. taiiirgs, or mineral bearing
material, the gross yield or value OF
which is twelve dollars per ton or less.
the whole amount of deductions shall
not exceed ninety percentum Of such
gross Weld, return or value. On MI
ores. tailines. or mineral-beatingm mate
rial, the gross yield, value. or return OF
which is over twelve and under thirty
dollars per ton. the whole amount OF de-
duc,iops shall not exceed eighty per
cen:um of such gross yield, value or re-
turn. On ores, tailings or mineral
bearing material. the gross yield, return,
or value Of which is over thirty dollars.
and less than one hundred dollars per
ton. the whole amount of deductions
shall no, exceed sixty percentum OF
such gross yield, value or return. On
all ores, tailings. or mineral-bearlDs
material, the gross yield. return or value
of v hich is one hundred dollars per ton.
or over, the whole amount Of deduction
shall not exceed fifty pecentum of such
gross Weld return. or value; pr0r'ded.
that an additional! exemption OF hfteen
dollars per ton may be allowed on all
ores. taiiings or minerals worked oy the
Freiberg process.
This is all of the Act which mas to do
with the rating Of the tax. The other
Sections prescribe the manner and time
OF assessment, &c. Elsewhere we re
produce a resolution upon this subjec'
passed by the White Pine Democracy.
Therein is expressed an opposition to
any tax upon bullion Except upon The
amount left after paying all expenses OF
mining, milling and reducing the same.
In other words, they favor the present
law, unless, indeed the guards placed
upon gross values and per centaRe OF
expense are to be deemed oppressive to
the smaller mining interests OF the State
But if that is what is meant. why NOT
state the fact. explicitly? Why talk
about the necessity OF such provisions AS
alrea " exist? The law means to give
the miner q clear exemption OF all e1-
perses. It is. it seems to US. exception
ally liberal legislation. Mining pro-
perty in this State is held at valuation
a hundred times greater than that OF all
other properties together. And yet.
after e1emp.ing all the expenses OF pro
duciion and reduction, the revenues
collected from bullion are only about one
third of the gross amount gathered into
the treasury. Inasmuch as the only per
sons OF great wealth having dealings
with our State are mining operators. il
seems to US that this tax falls with rare
lightuess upon these who have it to pay.
1t is possible, however, that beneficial
notifications even Of the present
lightly-resting law can be made with
Justice to the revenues and the tax
payers; but all ameliorstions should
bear equally. in every direction; and ii
the miner is to be relieved. why not the
merchant, the mechanic and the farmer!
SEvERE.-The Eureka Sentinel OF