Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-09-20

against the proposed amendment
THOMAS c. BARRETT.
Lieutenant Governor and President
L. e. THOMAS.
Speaker Of the House Of Represen-
Approved: August s4th. 1912;
Governor of the State of Louisiana
ALVIN z. HEBERT.
Secretary of State.
ACT No 81
House Bill No. 2. By Mr.. Roberts
Joint resolution submitting to the PEG
pie Of Louisiana an amendment to thu
Constitution reorganizing and remodelini
the States system Of assessment and tax
alton.
Section /. Be It resolved by the Gen
eral Assembly of the State of Louisiana
TO each House concurring. That the fol
lowing amendment TO the Constitution o
the State of Louisiana be and the same
is hereby submitted to the qualified elec
tors of the. State at the Congressiona
election to be held on the first Tuesday
November, in the year 1912, to-wit:
Article !.
1. The taxing power shall be exer'
cised by the State and by its subdivis-
ions for public purposes only.
q The taxing power shall never b,
surrendered, suspended, given, commu-
ted or contracted away; but where par,
ishes or municipal corporations shall
grant exemptions from parish or MUM
cipal taxes fer a period not to exceed ter
years from date OF completion to en-
courage the establishment OF industrial
enterprises. or a similar exemption to i'm
migrants Of the value added by them t
vacant property owned and occupied as 3
homestead, such exemptions shall not bs
withdrawn either as to enterprises es-
tablished or substantially begun in good
faith, or to immigrants who have actu-
ally 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 sub
divisions Of the State on behalf Of such
subdivision may defer for not more thar
three years the collection OF taxes in To-
entities subjected to overflow or Other
public calamity.
8 The General Assembly shall have
power to classify all property for taxa
ton. and TO adopt different rules and
rates for different classes, but such rules
all subjects of the same class 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.
T. Except in case Of foreign invasion
OF 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 Assembly
shall not exceed the rate OF two and one
half per cent except by vote OF two
thirds of all the members elected to each
house thereof.
Article %.
I. The sources of State and local rev.
enue shall be segregated and, except aa
hereinafter specified, or as may be here
after permitted by vote of two-thirds
of all the members elected to each House
of the General Assembly, each taxing
authority shall be restricted in taxation
to IT'S own sources Of revenue as herein
assigned.
of twd-thirds of all the members elected
TO each House Of the General Assembly
the following shall be the sources OF
lit. The special taxes hereinafter pro-
vided for
and. All corporations. private persons
and unincorporatsd associations that OPP
crate any railroad falling under the turis-
diction Of the Railroad Commission OF
street railroad; combined
street railroad and electric light and
power business; heating or refrigeration
plant (not inclusive of cold storage
plant; telephone line; telegraph line,
whether wireless or otherwise: express
line. dining car, sleeping car. oil car. re-
frigsrating car. or cars for any other pur-
pose operating upon railroads in this
State; steamboat motor boat, steamship,
ferry, barge. and tug, or other water
craft. where operated for hire. canal for
or irrigation. and pipe line
for oil or gas. When the electric light
and power business conducted In con-
junction with any street railroad can be
practically severed from the street rail-
then such severance shall be made by
the Tax Commission and such electric
light and power business shall not be q
source OF State revenue.
3rd All banks. State and National,
including savings banks, trust banks and
trust companies, and all private bankers.
individuals or partnerships. save
that the real estate Of all banks and
bankers shall be locally assessed and
estate of banks and bankers shall be
equallzed annually by the Tax Commits
sion 10 the basis established and in vogue
In each locality where such real estate
Is located.
: lth. All Insurance companies incIud-
Ing bonding and surety companies, for
eign or domestic, and all persons and
partnerships engaged in insuring persons
Or property, save that all the real estate
md corporal property Of such companies.
persons or partnerships shall be locally
and taxed.
9Th. All sugar rehneries, rice mills,
cotton seed oil mills. cotton seed oil re-
inCEicb ana IcnUcIlcS OF DCIEOlcuIl anu
It's products. sugar refinery Is hereby
defined to be a concern that buys and re-
ines raw sugar exclusively, or a concern
that buys and refnes more raw sugar
han the aggregate Of the sugar produced
oy It from cane grown and purchased by
sth All mines Of sulphur. salt or other
all oil or gas wells, all stone
Iuarries, sand. gravel and shell pits.
3 Only the operative property OF State
sources Of revenue shall be segregated TO
he State. The General Assembly shall
iefine. In a manner not inconsistent with
my provisions of this amendment, what
he operative property of each such
source is. Real estate and the improve
nents thereon forming part OF any rail-
Dad terminal, depot or yard or ware
house or shop, acquired after July 1,
lel2, even though II may form part of
he operative property Of any railroad,
hail not be considered a source OF State
'evenue except by constitutional amend
nent Unless such property had been.
,rior to said date, part Of railroad ter
ninal, depot. yard. warehouse or shop.
4 All other property subject TO taxa
Ion, except as herein specified, or except
Is may hereafter be directed by a vote
" two-thirds OF all the members elected
o each house Of the General Assembly.
'han be sources Of local taxation.
Article go.
The General Assembly shat have power
o levy Cor State purposes the fonowfng