The herald., 1912-10-10
ACT NO. IL.

ACT NO. IL.
House Bill No. 2. BY Mr.. Roberts
Joint resolution submitting to the
people of Louisiana an amendment to
the Constitution reorganizing and re-
modelling the States system of assess
Section /. Be it resolved by the
General Assembly of the State of Lou
| isiana. two-thirds of all the members
elected to each House concurring,
Constitution of the State of Louisiana
be and the same is hereby submitted
to the qualified electors OF the State
at the Congressional election to be
held on the tirst Tuesday after the first
Monday. in the month of November, in
the year 1912. to-wit:
Article 1.
/. The taxing power shall be exer-
cised by the State and by its sub
divisions for public purposes only.
2. The taxing power shall never be
muted or contracted away; but where
surrendered. suspended, given, COM
parishes or municipal corporations
shall grant exemptions from parish OIL
municipal taxes for period not to
exceed ten years from date of compile
ton to encourage the establishment OF
industrial enterprises, or a similar ex-
auued by them to vacant property
owned and occupied as homestead,
such exemptions shall not be with
drawn either as to enterprises estab-
lished or substantially begun in good
faith. or as to immigrants who have
actually acquired and improved or in
good faith begun to improve their
homesteads, since the granting of the
exemption. The General Assembly on
behalf of the State, and the governing
authorities of all subdivisions of the
hAl % Nat, h n txrfc tNWn
may defer for not more than three
years the collection of taxes in locali-
ties subjected to overflow or other
public calamity.
power to classify all property for tax
alton. and to adopt different rules and
rates for different classes, but such
rules and rates shall be equal and uni
throughout the territorial limits OF the
authority levying the tax. All such
classifications shall be based on the
characteristics of the property itself
or its use. and never on persons or
ownership.
4. Except in case of foreign invasion
or domestic revolution, the General As
sembly shall not have power. to levy
any ad valorem property tax in excess
Of four per cent; but the General As
sembly shall not exceed the rate of
vote of two-thirds of all the MEM
bers elected to each house thereof.
Article III.
1. The sources of State and local
revenue shall be segregated and, ex-
cept as hereinafter specified, or as may
be hereafter permitted by a vote OF
two-thirds Of all the members elected
to each House Of the General Assem-
bly,, each taxing authority shall be re-
stricted in taxation to It's own sources
Of revenue as herein assigned.
2. Until otherwise provided by
vote OF two-thirds of all of the mem
bers elected to each House Of the Gen
s 6s sosTees " State
LIST. The special taxes hereinafter
provided for.
End. All corporations, private per-
sons and unincorporated associations
that operate any railroad falling under
the jurisdiction of the Railroad Com
mission of Louisiana; street railroad; ;
combined street railroad and electric
refrigeration plant, (not inclusive oil
cold storage planD; telephone linei
telegraph line, whether wireless or oth-'
erwise: express line. dining car, sleep
Ing car. oil car, refrigerating car, or
cars for any other purpose operating
upon railroads in this State; steamboat,
motor boat. steamship, ferry, barge,
and tug, or other water craft, where
operated for hire. canal for transporta.
ton or irrigation, and pipe line for oil
or gas. When the electric light and
ton with any street railroad can be
practically severed from the street rail-
road business for purposes OF assess
ment then such severance shall be made
trio light and power business shall
not be a source Of State revenue.
3rd. All banks, State and National,
including savings banks, trust banks
and trust companies, and all private
bankers. whether individuals or part
nerships. save that the real estate of
all banks and bankers shall be locally
assessed and taxed. The assessments
ers shall be eQualized annually by the
Tax Commission to the basis estab-
lished and in vogue in each locality
where such real estate is located.
4th. All insurance companies includ-
ing bonding and surety companies. for
eign or domestic, and all persons and
partnerships engaged in insuring per.
sons or property. save that all the real
estate and corporal property of such
companies, persons or partnerships
shall be locally assessed and taxed.
9Th All sugar NJ Tsneres rice ss mills Us;
refineries and refineries Of petroleum
and its products. A sugar refinery is
hereby defined to be a concern that
buys and tha Sugs aed
more raw sugar than the aggregate Of
the sugar produced by IL from cane
grown and purchased by IT.
9Th. All mines of sulphur, salt or
other minerals, all oil or gas wells, all
stone ouarries, sand, gravel and shell
pits.
8. Only the operative property of
state sources Of revenue shall be seq
regated to the State. The General AS
sembly shall define. in a manner not
inconsistent with any provisions of
this amendment what the operative
estate and the Improvements thereon
forming part Of any railroad terminal,