The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-04-09
nha Mew Assesament Law.

Following is a summary of the assessment
hill as it passed the Legislature
4 AN interests, shares, or proportions OF yes,
i sels owned by residents of this State, in all
vessels, whether in or out of the State, shall
1 he assessed to the owners in the county or
city where they reside. The real estates OF
all corporations shall be subject to taxation.
All money, the proceeds of the sale OF STOCK,
bonds or other property disposed OF for the
burmese of evading taxation; all shares of
| stock. other than steam railroads; all bonds
issued by any State or District of Columbia,
ar by any corporation, all investments in pri-
waite securities of every kind; real property;
the personal property of corporations not hav-
;ng shares of capital stock, or having shares
of capital stock wholly or in part exempted
from taxation; all certificates of indebtedness
or evidences OF debt OF any State, Territory,
| county or public corporation shall be assessed
and taxed. The real and personal property oil
every steam railroad shall be taxed for coun-
ty and municipal purposes, as the property OF
individuals is taxed, provided that bridges Of
railroads and turnpikes shall be assessed at
the same rate that an equal portion of any
other part of the road is taxed. Section l55
of article 81 of the code, relating TO tunnels,
is expressly repealed, and tunnels are made
taxable at their real value. National bank
stock and stock of other corporations is to be
valued by the assessors at the valuation put
upon them by the tax commissioners Mort
gage bonds Of corporations are taxed, the cor
porations issuing them to pay the tax accord
ing to section 81, article 81 of the code.
PROPERTY EXEMPTED.
Property exempted from taxation is as fol-
lows: United States bonds, property belong
ing to the United States, the State, or
any county, or incorporated city or town;
buildings used exclusively for public worship,
parsonages, graveyards, cemeteries which
are not used for profit; church or family bury
ing grounds; crops or produce, in hands OF
producer, or his agents; provisions and fuel
| kept ON hand by families; tools, of mechanics;
wearing apparel, except watches, diamonds,
/ or other costly iewelry, not habitually worn
on the person; fish, in The hands Of the fisher
man or his agents; building, equipment and
furniture, of hospitals, asylums, charitable or
benevolent institutions, and ground appQr-
tenant; incorporated schools: property of cor
porations having shares, which are alone sub
iect to taxation; shares of corporations eX-
empted by irrepealable contract; shares OF
stock of companies subject to gross receipts
tax; book accounts; bills receivable or other
evidence of debt owned by merchants whose
average stock in trade is taxed; such portion
of shares of homestead or building associa-
tions as may be represented by mortgage on
property within the State when the mort.
gage property is subject to taxation; mort
cages on property within the State and mort
gage debts secured thereby, except mortgage
bonds of "a corporation. The officers of cor
porations shall furnish county commissioners
| or the Appeal Tax Court statement OF real
property owned for valuation, and certificates
of such valuation are furnished and used as at
present in a reduction ofthis amount from the
assessed value of the shares of the corpora
ton.
GROSS RECEIPTS TAN.
Telegraph, cable, telephone, electric light,
electric construction, gas, parlor car, oil pipe
line, express or transportation companies by
land or water, title insurance, safe deposit,
trust, guarantee and fidelity companies are
subject to a state tax upon gross receipts, as
railroads are, the shares of stock 20 be subject
TO county and municipal taxation.
The gross receipts tax, which is designated
a franchise tax, is as follows: Eight-tenths
of | per cent. on the first 81 900 per mile Of
gross earnings or on total earnings if less thar
81 200 per mile; / } per cent. on the excess o.
81 900 per mile up to 1000, and . per cent
on all earnings above $1,000 per mile. The
franchise tax on the gross receipts Of tele
graph or cable, express or transportation, tel
ephone parlor car, sleeping car, safe deposit
trust guarantee and fidelity companies is
per cent. On oil pipe lines and title surance
companies l per cent. One half of l pei
cent. on electric light, electric construction
and gas companies. Where railroad, pipe
line, telegraph, telephone, sleeping car oil
transportation line is partly out OF the State
the tax is to be upon such proportion of the
entire earnings as the mileage in the State
bears to that without the Stale.
ASSESSMENT MACHINERY.
The State is divided into assessment dis
tricts and the machinery is similar to that EN-
ployed in 1876. The assessors are to be tax
payers and residents for at least one year IL
The assessment district from which they are
appointed. The per diem Of assessors IN the
counties is $3.50 and in the city So. Each
board of control and review can appoint {
clerk at SO. 80 day, and in Baltimore two
clerks. The tax commissioner is to prepare
printed instructions and forms for the asses
sors and also complete form Of schedule o
nil kinds of personal property subject to taxa
ton to which he may add such interrogatorle'
as he may deem proper for the purpose of Sc
curing full disclosure of all such property
which forms are to be delivered to the proper
officials for distribution TO all the citizens o
the State, The assessors are TO assemble a
the court. houses Of the counties and City Hal
in Baltimore on the first Tuesday in May
1892 except in Baltimore county, where the
beginning of work shall take place on tht
third Tuesday in June. Boards OF contro
and review are to begin on the second Tues
day IN September.
Ehe proper officer of corporations shall Oh
or before July /, 1859, return to the county
commissioners or Appeal Tax Court under
oath and penalties list of his stockholders
with their holdings. The assessors are to de
liver, or send by mail, to each person in theil
districts who shall own property at least two
DAYS before the assessors shall call blank
schedule. These schedules must be filled Ou
and signed when the assessor comes. Failure
to receive blank is no excuse for not return
ing one. To knowingly make false return
is declared IL misdemeanor, punishable by {
fine amounting to double the taxs ought to he
evaded.
In 1896 the listing by county commissioners
and the Appeal Pax Court will begin. BLANKS
are TO be returned on or before January ID
1895, and the same date each fourth veal
thereafter. Failure to return blanks is pun
ished by fine Of from $50 to $500. Stringent
provision is made for maintaining the Sc
crecy of the lists. Property is to be assessed
at its cash value, and the rolling stock Of all
railroads worked by steam, except those eX'
empted by contract, arc considered personal
property taxable for county and municipal
purposes. Mortgage bonds of corporation
are to be assessed according to the rate Of iii
terest paid, those bearing per cent, at par
those per cent, so, and SO on Those pay
ing no interest are not to be taxed at all. A
large portion Of the bill, which covers thirty
eight pages, is devoted to details as to the
mothods of the assessors and rules regulating
appeals and the collection of property.
Carroll county is divided into four assess
ment districts, the first composed of the first
second, tenth and twelfth election districts
the second of the third, seventh. and eley
enth districts; the third of the fourth, sixth
and eighth districts; and the fourth of the fifth
ninth and thirteenth districts.