The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1912-10-24
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
ment and taxation.
Section l. Be it resolved by the
General Assembly OF the state or Lou
isiana. two-thirds of all the members
elected to each House concurring,
That the following amendment to the
Constitution of the State of Louisiana
be and the same is hereby submitted
to the qualified electors OF the state
held on the nrst Tuesday after the first
Monday, in the month of November, in
the year 1912, to-wit:
Article l.
l. 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 De
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 OIL
industrial enterprises, or a similar ex-
emption to immigrants OF the value
ADDED by them to vacant property
owned and occupied as a homestead,
such exemptions shall not be with
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
State on behalf of such subdivision,
l~l Co. han
years the collection of taxes in locali-
ties subjected to overflow or other
public calamity.
8. The General Assembly shall have
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
form on all subjects OF the same class
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
two and one-half per cent except by
a vote of two-thirds Of all the MEM
bers elected to each house thereof.
Article II.
revenue shall be segregated and, ex-
cept as hereinafter specified, or as may
be hereafter permitted by vote OIL
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 its own sources
Of revenue as herein assigned.
2. Until otherwise provided by a
of I'D Of a nf M
bers elected to each House of the Gen
eral Assembly, the following shall be
the sources Of State revenue:
list. The special taxes hereinafter
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
light and power business; heating OF
refrigeration plant, (not inclusive OF
telegraph line, Whether wireless or 9TH
erwise; express line, dining car, sleep.
ing car. oil car. refrigerating car, OF
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,
tfon or irrigation, and pipe line for Oil
or gas. When the electric light and
power business conducted in contunc-
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
by the Tax Commission and such cleo,
trio light and power business shall
not be a source of State revenue.
3rd. All banks. state and Nationai,
including savings banks, trust banks
and trust companies, and all private
bankers, whether individuals or part
nerships. save that the real estate OF
assessed and taxed. The assessments
of the real estate of banks and bank
ers shall be equalized annually by the
Tax Commission to the basis estab-
where such real estate is located.
4th. All insurance companies fnclud-
ing bonding and surety companies, Tor,
eign or domestic, and all persons and
sons or property. save that all the real
estate and corporeal property or sucn
companies, persons or partnerships
shall be locally assessed and taxed.
5th. All sugar refineries, rice mills,
cotton seed oil mills, cotton seed oil
refineries and refineries of petroleum
and it's products. A sugar refinery Is
hereby defined to be concern that
~. or a concern that buys and refines
more raw sugar than the aggregate OF
the sugar produced by il from cane
grown and purchased by II.
9Th. All mines of sulphur, salt OF
other minerals. all oil or gas wells, all
stone Quarries. 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 manner not
inconsistent with any provisions OF
this amendment what the operative
property Of each such source Is. Real
estate and the improvements thereon
forming part Of any railroad terminal