The midland journal., 1896-07-03
The New Assessment.

may prove useful Ill dllluS IHdU
important business.
SPECIAL EXEMPTIONS.
The law exempts from taxation
as personal property CD Wearing
apparel of every description except
diamonds and other costly jewelry
not habitually worn upon the person;
(2), provisions and fuel for use and
consumption; (3), the working tools
of mechanics and artisans, moved
or worked exclusively by hand;
(4), the first $500 in value of the
farming implements in the pos
session of any farmer; (5), crops or
produce in the hands of the pro-
ducer or his agent; co, fish while
in possession of the fisherman or
his agent while yet unsold; CD,
stocks, bonds and evidences of in
debtedness of the United States or
of the State of Maryland; (S), shares
of stock in Maryland steam rail
ways, because these railways already
pay to the State a tax on their
gross receipts; (9), bills receivable
or evidences of debt for such
accounts in the possession of persons
Iengaged in commercial business.
FURNITURE.
In making a return of their
furniture tax payers are not ex-
pected to give detailed and itemized
statement of each different piece,
but to give one estimate of each
different kind of furniture, such as
library, silverware, pictures, SC.
A mooted point in the new as
sessment is the taxation of property
held by lease, as in the case Of
furniture purchased upon the in
sta lment plan, in which the buyer
signs an agreement which gives
him no title to the furniture until
the last installment is paid, and
which provides that should he fail
in his payments the furniture and
the money paid shall both revert to
the dealer. The general opinion is
that the purchaser should not be
taxed for this furniture, as he really
has no title in it and is virtually
only paying rent for its use.
STOCK IN TRADE.
The tax upon the stock of a
merchant is upon a fair average
value of his stock in business
during the year previous. In
making his return, machinery or
plant must be returned as separate
from the stock, as a city ordinance
makes an exemption of city taxes
for plant. This does not exempt
from State taxes, nor does it include
in its exemption store and Office
furniture.
| REAL ESTATE.
The schedule of real property
left for taxpayers is to be filled out
with complete enumeration of all
the real property owned by the
person in the city and in the State
of Maryland. 1t does not include
ground rents, for the payment Of
taxes upon the ground, as under
former laws, is done by the person
to whom belong the Improvements
upon the ground.
The assessors are directed to
value real property at its full cash
value, without looking to a forced
sale.
SCHEDULES TO BE SWORN TO.
Persons to whom assessors have
sent blank schedules are required
to have their statements ready in
twenty days for the assessor. On
the back of each schedule is an oath
to which the assessor is required to
swear them, which states that their
list is a full, true and complete one,
and that the subscriber has not
sought to mislead the assessor as to
the quantity and quality of his
holdings nor tried to evade the law
by converting any of his property
temporarily into non taxable prop
erty of securities. This oath can
not be taken before any one except
an assessor, unless the taxpayer
resides out of the State. The as
SCISSOR cannot charge for making
this oath.
PENALTIES AND PUNISHMENTS.
For making a false and fraudu-
lent return of property there is
provided penalty of a fine not
exceeding $500 and two years i'm
prisonment. For entering into any
conspiracy between assessor and
taxpayer the fine shall be one not |
exceeding 81, 900 and Imprisonment |
not exceeding three years.
For refusing to answer questions
propounded by assessors or for re-
fusing to be sworn, a person shall
be deemed guilty of misdemeanor,
punishable by a fine of from $50 to
$500. For wilfully refusing to re-
turn schedules or to make oath to
those schedules the penalty is a
fine of from 5000 to $4,000, in
addition to which the jury in the
case can impose double the amount
of taxes that the defendant would
otherwise have had to pay.