The herald., 1912-10-03
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 of Lou
isiana. two-thirds of all the members
elected to each House concurring,
Ihat 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 trst 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 be
muted or contracted away; but where
surrendered, suspended, given, com
parishes or municipal corporations
shall grant exemptions from parish OF
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-
emption to immigrants of the value
owned and occupied as a 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
State on behalf of such subdivision,
may defer for not more than three
years the collection of taxes in locali-
ties subjected to overflow or other
3. 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
throughout the territorial limits of the
classifications' shall be based on the
characteristics of the property itself
or its use. and never on persons or
ownership.
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
two and one-half per cent except by
vote of two-thirds of all the MEM
bers elected to each house thereof.
Article IL
/. 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
2. Until otherwise provided by
vote of two-thirds of all of the MEM
bers elected to each House of the Gen
s 5 sassees " State she
1st. 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
light and power business; heating or
refrigeration plant, (not inclusive OF
cold storage planD; telephone linei
telegraph line, whether wireless or 9TH
erwise; express line, dining car, sleep
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,
tion or irrigation, and pipe line for oil
or gas. When the electric light and
power business conducted in conJunc-
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
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
of the real estate of banks and bank
ers shall be eaualized 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 rs
5th. All sugar refineries, rice mills,
cotton seed oil mills. cotton seed oil
refineries and refineries OF petroleum
and its products. sugar refinery Is
buys and refnes raw sugar exclusive
ly, or a concern that buys and refines
more raw sugar than the aggregate OF
the sugar produced by u from cane
grown and purchased by a.
sth. All mines Of sulphur. salt OF
other mlnersl.. all oil or gas wells. all
stone quarrtes sand. gravel and shell
q Only the operative property Of
state sources % fsNenus shall bs seq
Feaated % the state. The oeneral Az
ssmblF shall dsans. IN . manner net
lneensistsni vith eny prosisions 81
thla amandmsnf shat ihs operative
nFnpariF ~ eaoh aurh aaurre ~ heai
estate and tha innFosamanla fhereon
,..s'ss 80, = e.. ss.'.s 80. ,. :, 80.