The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-12
TAX ON FRANCHISES
WILL BE PAID TO STATE, COUN-
TIES AND MUNICIPALITIES.
SENATE HAS PASSED BILL
HOUSE WILL CONCUR IN AMEND
MENTs OF THE SENATE.

BY a Vote of SO to the Bill Was
Passed-Senate Committee Report
ed 1t Favornbly by N Narrow Ma
jOrity-MOst of Those Who signed
Minority Report Voted for the
Reconsideration of the Bill.
Any Occupation Tax Will be De-
Quoted.
Atlanta, Dec. 1.-THE Senate to-
night passed the franchise tax bill by
q vote of Sc to 2. The only votes
against the measure We're by Senators
Turner of the Thirty-fourth district,
and Smith of the Eighteenth district.
The Senate spent the entire day on
the measure. The bill, as passed by
the House, was favorably reported by
the Senate Finance Committee by a
vote of 9 to s, and came up as the spe-
cial order this morning. A remarkable
feature was that out of eight members
of the committee, who signed a minor
ity report on the bill, six of them voted
for it and against their report.
The entire morning session was spent
in discussing amendments offered by
the committee. These amendments
were largely of a nature designed to
perfect the bill technically. Just be-
fore / O'Clock Senator Shelton of the
Thirty-first district, offered two sub
stitutes for the bill, which. he said,
were in accord with the views of Con-
troller General Wright ON the subject
of franchise taxation, the controller
general having given the matter care
full study.
President Howell took the floor and
suggested, in view of this fact, that
a conference should be had with the
Controller General. The Senate adopt
ed this suggestion and adjourned un-
til o'clock.
In the meantime the Finance Com
Committee met and called on the Con-
troller General. AT $3.50 o'clock the
committee reported the bill back with
several amendments, disregarding Sen
ator Skeletons substitutes.
Brief debate followed, both Senator
Howell and Chairman Davis of the
Finance Committee, speaking for the
bill, and at o'clock vote was taken
with the result stated.
The amendments to the bill, as the
result of the conference with the Con-
troller General, were made for the pur-
| pose of perfecting the machinery for
making returns of franchises and col
| lecting the taxes on them. The meas
| ure provides that all franchises which
| are declared to be property shall be
returned to the Controller General and
| that they shall be taxed ad valorem,
| the same as other property. The pro-
| cess is the same as that for making
returns and collecting taxes on rail-
roads, telephone and telegraph COM
| panies, which is now done by the Con-
troller General. Franchises are also to
| be taxed for the benefit of municipali-
ties and counties, the same as are
| railroads, the collecting and apportion-
ment to be done by the Controller Gen.
eral
The only important amendment to
the bill that was adopted was one
| providing that where street railroad
companies or other corporations now
pay an occupation tax or a percentage
of gross receipts to a city or county,
| the same shall be deducted from the
| amount of the franchise tax allotted
| to such city or county.
The House will, it is stated, concur
| in all the Senate amendments, and
! the bill will become a law.