The Natchitoches enterprise., 1912-10-17
ACT No r.

ALVIN E HEBERT.
Secretary of State.
ACT No ~.
House Bill No 2. BY Mr.. Roberts.
/ Joint resolution submitting to the peo-
ple Of Louisiana an amendment to the
CONSTITUTION reorganiZing and remodeilng
the States system of assessment and tax
alton.
eraI Assembly of the State of Louisiana.
two-thirds of all the members elected
to each House concurring, That the tel-
lowing amendment to the Constitution OF
the State of Louisiana be and the same
is hereby submitted to the qualified cleo
tors of the State at the Congressional
election to be held on the first Tuesday
after the first Monday in IN, the month mont. OF
November in the ,. year 1872 to-wit;
/. The taxing power shall be, exer-
cised by the State and by its subdiv1s-
ions for public purposes only:
q The taxing power shall never be
surrendered, suspended, given, cemrnu-
ted or contracted away; but where par
ishes or municipal corporations shan
grant exemptions from parish or NUM-
cipal taxes fer a period not to exceed ten
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 to
vacant property owned and occupied as a
homestead, such exemptions shall not be
withdrawn either as to enterprises es-
tablished or substantially begun In good
faith, or to immigrants who have actu-
allv ACQUIRED and improved or In good
faith begun to improve their homesteads,
since the granting of the exemption. Tne
General Assembly on behalf of the state,
and the governing authorities OF alfssub-
divisions of the State on behalf of such
subdivision, rtsAy defer for not more than
Thfge years ire correction UI tsxess n .TJA
calities subjected to overflow or other
Je Ian
3. 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
and rates shall be equal and uniform on
all subjects of the same class throughout
the territorial limits of the authority
levying the tax. All such classlhcationss
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 net 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 a vote of two
thirds of all the members elected to each
house thereof.
/ The sources of State and local rev.
enue shall be segregated and, except as
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 its own sources of revenue as herein
assigned.
of two-thirds of all the members elected
to each House Of the General Assembly,
the following shall be the sources Of
State revenue:
2nd. All corporations, private persons
and unincorporatsd associations that OPP
crate any railroad falling under the juris-.
louisiana: street railroad; combined
street railroad and electric light and
power business: heating or refrigeration
plant mot h inclusive yge OF colo storage rag
whether wireless or otherwise: express
line, dining car, sleeping car. oil car, re-
frfgerating 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
trarTnortatien 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-
road business for purposes OF assessment
then such severance shall be made by
the Tax Commission and such electric
light and power business shall not be
source of State revenue.
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 be locally assessed and
taxed. The assessments of the real
estate of banks and bankers shall be
equaliZed annually by the Tax Commits
sion to the basis established 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, ana d an a, persons s,I AND
or property save that all the real estate
and corporal property of such companies,
persons or partnerships shall be locally
assessed and taxed.
5th All sugar refineries, rice mills,
cotton seed oil mills, cotton seed oil re-
fneries and refnerieS of petroleum and
its products. A sugar refinery is hereby
defined to be concern that buys and re-
fines raw sugar exclusively, or a concern
that buys and refnes more raw sugar
than the aggregate of the sugar produced
by it from cane grown and purchased by
it
9Th. All mines of sulphur, salt or other
minerals, all oil or gas wells, all stone
quarries. sand. gravel and shell pits
g. Only the operative property of State
sources of revenue shall be segregated to
the State. The General Assembly shall
define, in a manner not inconsistent with
any provisions of this amendment. what
the operative property of each such
source is Real estate and the improve
ments thereon forming part of any rail-
road terminal. depot or yard or ware
house or shop, acquired after July 1.
1912. even though 1t may form part OF
the operative property of any railroad,
shall not be considered a source Of State
revenue except by constitutional amend
ment unless such property had been,
prior TO said date, part of a railroad ter
mfnal, depot. yard. warehouse or shop.
l. All otheE property subject to taxa
ton, except as herein specified, or excent
as may hereafter be directed by a vote
Of two-thirds Of all the members elected
to each house of the General Assembly.
shall be sources Of local taxation.
Article III.
The General Assembly shall have power
to levy for State purposes the following
special taxess