Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-06-28
GEORGIA LEGISLATURE
Several Important Measures Introduc
ed--Tax on Divorces,

Atlanta, June 27.-One Of the most
| important steps yet taken by the house
came yesterday when that body pass.
ed, by a vote of 1873 to Z, the bill by
Mr.. Tigner, of Muscogee, providing
for constitutional amendment. limit,
Ing the tax rate in Georgia for all pur.
poses to five-tenths of 1 per cent.
This is the first bill passed by the
house, and being a constitutional
amendment, required two-thirds ia,
vorable vote, or a minimum of 1T.
The unusually large vote in its favor,
1873, shows how general is the senti
ment in favor of such legislation.
Similar bills have been passed be-
lore, both by the senate and house
buts not at the same session. Now
that the house has acted at the out
set, the senate has plenty of time ia
get the measure through in short or
der, and that body is generally known
TO be favorable to this legislation.
There is little doubt, it is said of its
passage by the senate, and less. per
haps, OF its adoption by the people
when submitted to them for ratffca
ton
Another bill for the revision In part
of the Georgia tax laws was intro
duced in the house yesterday by Mr.
Gambler, of DeKalb. This measure
proposes simply to provke for state
board of tax commissioners, and coun,
ty boards of tax assessors, and equal
in nI1
is in direct line with the tax reforms
suggested in Governor TerreIPs mes
sage, and differs from the bill which
Mr. Gambler introduced on the same
line at the last session in that the
latter measure included a general and
detailed reform of the tax laws of the
state
The new measure provides for a
state board of tax commissioners. OF
which the comptroller general shall
be the chief presiding officer, and for
county boards of assessors and equal
izers in each county in the state upon
whom shall devolve the assessment OF
all property, real and personal, fol
the purposes of taxation. Such a
change in the tax laws has often been
discussed, but now Mr.. Gambler says
every possible effort will be made td
have it become a law.
Mr. Grenade, of Wilkes county, pro
poses plan to supplement materially
and bountifully the public school fund
of Georgia. Mr.. Granade's plan ID
nothing more nor less than PROPOSE
tion to put tax on divorces.
The first section of Mr.. Granade's
bill says that each husband or wife
to whom a divorce is granted in this
state shall pay the sum of $40 into
the treasury of Georgia. But that
is not all. A tax of SO is also to ba
demanded from the petitioner upon the
filing of bill for divorce, and accord
ing to section 8, after the requisite
number of juries has passed on the
application no divorce shall be gramt
ed in such case until the lucky party
shall have paid $50 to the tax collec
tor Exception is made in all cases
where the established ground of di
vorce is infidelity, and in such cases
no tax is to be required.
Under such measure it would ap
pear ~that each divorce granted on
any other grounds than that stated
would net the public = school fund
something like 1920 Judging from
court records, such a law might tend
to reduce materially taxation fo1
school purposes.
When the house adjourned it did sd
to meet again at 10 o'clock Monday,
morning in order to visit the state
encampment at Griffin.