The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1912-09-26

JOINT RESOLUTION
to the people Of Louisi-
ana an amendment to the Con
stitution reorganizing and re-
modelling the States system of
assessment and taxation.
Section 1. Be it resolved by the
General Assembly OF the State Of
two-thirds Of all the mem
bers elected to each House concur
ring, 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 at the Congressional
election to be held on the first Tues
day after the first Monday in the
month Of November, in the year 1912,
to.wit:
Article |.
/. 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
surrendered, suspended, given, com
muted or contracted away; but where
parishes Or municipal corporations
shall grant exemptions from parish
or municipal taxes for a period not
TO exceed ten years from date OF
completion to encourage the estab.
lishment of industrial enterprises, OF
a similar exemption to immigrants
of the value added by them to vacant
property owned and occupied as &
homestead, such exemptions shall MOI
be withdrawn either as to enter
prises established or substantially be
gun in good faith, Or as to immigrants
who have actually acquired and i'm
proved or in good faith begun to i'm
prove their homesteads, since tn.
granting of the exemption. The Gen
eral Assembly on behalf of the State
and the governing authorities of al
subdivisions of the State on behal
of such subdivision, may defer To-
not more than three years the col
lection Of taxes in localities subject
ed to overflow or other public ca
lamity.
3. The General Assembly shall hay,
power to classify all property for tax
alton, and to adopt different rule'
and rates for different classes. bu
such rules and rates shall be equa
and uniform on all subjects of tn,
same class throughout the territorial
limits Of the authority levying tn,
tax. ALI such classifications shall b,
based on the characteristics Of th,
property itself or its use, and new
er on persons or ownership. p.
4. Except in case Of foreign inva
sion or domestic revolution, the Gen
eral Assembly shall not have power
to levy any ad valorem property ia,
in excess of four per cent: but tn,
General Assembly shall not excee{
the rate Of two and 0ne-half per cent
except by q vote of two.thirds of al
the members elected to each house
thereof. ....
Article II.
l. The sources of State and local
revenue shall be segregated and. ex
cept as hereinafter specified. or az
may be hereafter permitted by a
vote of tw0.thirds of all the members
elected to each House Of the Gener.
al Assembly, each taxing authority
shall be restricted in taxation to its
own sources of revenue as herein
assigned '
2. Until otherwise provided by a
vote of two-thirds of all of the mem.
bers elected to each House of the
General Assembly, the following
shall be the sources of State reve-
nue.:
LIST. The special taxes hereinafter
provided for.
End. All corporations, private per-
sons and unincOrpOrated associations
that operate any railroad falling I'M
der the jurisdiction of the Railroad
Commission of Louisiana: street rail-
road; combined street railroad and
electric light and power business;
heating or refrigeration plant. (not
inclusive of cold storage plant: tel
ephone line; telegraph line, wheth.
er wireless or otherwise; express
line, dining car, sleeping car, oil car,
refrigerating car, or cars for any
other purpose operating upon rail.
roads in this state; steamboat, mot.
or boat, steamship, ferry, barge and
tug, or other water craft, where op-
Grated for hire, canal for transporta-
ton 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
railroad business for purposes of as.
sessment then such severance shall
be made by the Tax Commission and
such electric light and power business
shall not be a source Of State. reve.
hue.
3rd. All banks, State and Nation.
al, including savings banks, trust
banks and trust companies. and all
private bankers, whether individuals
Or partnerships, save that the real
estate Of all banks and bankers shall 1
De locally assessed and taxed The
assessments of the real estate of
banks, and bankers shall be equaliz.
I'd annually by the Tax Commission
% the basis established and in MOI