The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-15
CHANGES ARE MADE
 IN REVENUE BILL
Insurance Feature Is Eliminated in Substitute For the
 Smith Bill

Montgomery, March -(SpeciaD-In the new revenue bill as introduced by the ways and means committee this after noon, and which will be acted upon as a substitute to the Smith measure, are noticeable an elimination of many of the objectionable features of the previous measures.
 One of the principal is, that the objec- tionable insurance feature in the original bill whereby every man was to be taxed in accordance with the insurance valu- ation of his personal property. has been eliminated from the bill, and this will not appear in the bill to be reported by committee to the house.
 | On the other hand, it seems to be the effort of the committee to get after a | privilege tax on telephone and telegraph companies doing business in the state and to base this tax on the mileage of | their line. It Is also the effort of the committee to get after the express com panies doing business in this state and compel them to pay a proper prorata proportion for all the lines they operate and for all the business they do. | In order to properly arrive at what these express companies and others that come under the privilege tax question should pay, section 2 of the amendment
 
 of from letter to letter N and they base their taxes on the difference of | population under these variods classfi- | cations.
 Section of the amendment goes after | sleeping car companies and provides that any person. firm or corporation operat- | ing a sleeping car in the state of Ala bama, shall pay it's share of the states | taxes to the extent of $5500 per year as and for a license privilege tax. | Section of the amendment to the lrevenue bill takes in the insurance com panies both regular and fraternal, wheth- | CT it be life, fire or accident and requires these companies to pay tax to the state Herein again, the cities are divided &C., cording to population and the insurance companies are required to pay a tax based on the population of the towns in which they are doing business. For in stance:
 The amended bill says in cities and towns having a population of 5000 or less S1O and $1 on each sl0O and a major frac- ton thereof of gross premiums received during the preceding year on policies s- sued during said year to cities and towns.
 This amount is increased through a series of productions up to the city of E class, which would take in a city such
 
 Section of the amendment to the revenue bill puts great obligation on every person of full age and sound mind in the state, in that 1t requires them to file under oath with the assessor of ev- cry county, a full and complete invent ory of all assets. There are provisions placed around this section, which will make it exceedingly hard for anybody to escape an assessment cf personal prop erty, and there is possibility that any at- tempt to do so will mean fine of $500. Duties of the tax assessor of each county are thoroughly defined and he is vested with power to compel owners of property to make ? complete showing of all their possessions. The bill has oth- CT provisions that have to do with check stubs, bonds of all kinds, circuses. exh!- bitions and parades, rectifyers of spirits, money lenders, motorcycle owners and | any other light vehicle, the sale of pistols and other weapons of defense. the opera ton of oil works and tanks. the sale of fireworks and all extranous lines of busi- ness, etc.