Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-10-13

lIdcled away. IaXeS snail pt UNI 80
| upon the same class of Sub1ects, S 1iio
| shall be levied and collected Tor plip55lo
| purposes, but public buryinS sro!!llq3s'
| public school houses, publc hoStl 1ett17ii
| academies colleges, universities, ailti gu
| seminaries Of learning, all churcIIGf9'
| church property, and houses OF WofSi4lpii
| institutions Of purely public cHafety, az
pubic property used extensively LoI ~ go "
public purpose, shall be exempt from talA-
atiOn, and there may be exempted l5 49,
! taxation personal property not eHGeeaiaHie
| in value $500 for each househoId' ny
| vidual or head of a family, as the lGe2+
| Iature may determine: Provided, VIC
| the legislature may authorize mulllG dte
corporations to levy and cpllect e'9SoSs 1o
ments for local Improvements upo onapd TO
| erty benefited thereby without Fe5aiu ~ ~
| q cash valuation: and, proVlded iLI IL, 80 10
| that nothing herein contained shs ,.c,,ooI
construed to affect, modl1y % +ha Iva
| tion of the gross earnings of railroads.
The purpose and effect OF
| amendment would be to greatI! e
large the mower of the Legislature
with reference to the suDJect %
taxation Section one Cd as IL NO"
| stands provides that all taxes I'm
posed shall be equal-as near 'ss .y
be-on all forms of property an"
property upon which tax
posed is required to nave $50
VALUATION equalized thro"s""'
the state.
Section two as it now stah"s
ouires the legislature to levy the
necessary taxes annually TO ueAis
the expenses of the state. Aha1 40
the DUTY of the legislature Wiho"'
any constitutional direction
Section three as it now stah"s %
yiGcs that all real and persona
pronerty. including MONEYS, CRED
IT'S and INVESTMENTS IN boNDs
AND STOCKS. shall be assessed Ut
cording to their true Vaiue A
| money.
Section four as it now STANDS pro-
vides that property empi"Se
banking shall be sun1ect =" 800
equal to that imposed on
property. This is only repeti'io
of the requirements of Sections one
and three. as no rational pSfs
would claim that banking capA'
should be exempt from taXahon'
Section seventeen as ut no" st"
is not easy to understand, but IL was
intended Inv that section to relieve
from the operation of sections one
and three. above quoted. pFopeftS
of the classes therein enumei*''0'
so that gross earnings ''A 4
be applied thereto instead OF d1rec'
taxation.
Owing to the provisions OF sec
tions one and three of the pfeSe
"a
were from time to time added so as
to permit taxes to be imposed On
specific kinds of property otheF-
wise than upon a cash Nah""'lo
equalized throughout tine staee'
have among these EXCEPTIONS
road gross earnings taxes; mu
paI frontage taxes; inheritance
taxes. and the gross earnings taxes
authorized by said sectlon
teen.
Several exemptions from taXatAoh
are also provided for, but as these
exemDtiOns are not changed by the
proposed amendment, L Will make
no further reference to them.
The amendment which. if adopted
would take the place OF al oA INC
sections and amendments above re-
ferred to. is simple and plain. NO
nroyisiOn of the Constitution rs
necessary to authorize the I'M
positioI. Of the taxes necessary ioF
the support OF the state ana lts
various political subdivisions Hhe
mower of taxation is inherent IN
Government. This proposed amend
meut declares that this inherent
Doxycr of taxation shall never De
surrendered. suspended or con-
tracted away; that taxes snail pe
imposed for public purposes ana
shall he uniform on the same elias"
ment be adopted ali property Oh
every kind in the state Nyo"ld be
subject to taxation. according 10
the method the legislature saw nj
to adopt. provided only that the
tax was levied for Il public purpose
and was uniform on the same cha So
of subjects. Under this amending emit
every tax law we now have on the
statute books would continue to be
valid because under this amend
ment all limitations on the power
of 4he legislature would be taken
away. = - "
The adoption of this amendment
would. as indicated. repeal the So
called inheritance tax amendment,
and the gross-earnings tax amend
men4 adopted i'm 1896 as contained
in said section seventeen. but i'm
their place this amendment wOuln
give the legislature greater author
ity Under this amendment the
power to impose inheritance taxes
would be unlimited, and any form
of gross earnings tax would be
valid. The gross earnings tax ON
railroads would not be affected by
this amendment, as the Constitution
Drovides that it can not be changed
without a vote of the people. Buf
with this amendment various new
forms of taxation could be imposed,
notably an income tax and a regis
fry tax on mortgages. Under the
present Constitution we can impose
no tax ON mortgages owned by nom
residents. A registry tax. which
would be valid under this amend
nent. would reach all mortgages
alike. While all subjects of taxa
ton are required to have cash
valuation with the tax equa1ized
throughout the state, NO proper in
come tax could be imposed. Such "a
tax. if imposed, should be pro-
sressive, which would be valid
under this amendment.
SECOND PROPOSED AMENDMENT.
The second proposed amendment is
contained i'm Chapter 212 of the
Laws of 1908. 1t is sought by this
amendment to repeal Section 10 of
Article of the Constitution, which
is as follows:
Section 49, For the purpose of lending
aid in the construction and Improvement
of public highways and bridges there is
hereby created a fund to be known as
the State Road and Bridge Fund Said
fund shall include all moneys accrung
from the income derived from invest
ments, in the internal Improvement land
fund.- or that may hereafter accrue to
said fund and shall also include all