The St. Mary banner., 1912-11-02

JOINT EEs0.I-0N
Submitting to ,ha r.Qra u Louisi-
ana an ua.aauea. - tn Con
stituuoa reo.ean.z'ag and re-
mode]ins the STATE system Of
asses mart and taxa .o..
Section 1. BE It resolved by the
General Assembly Of TIC State Of
louisiana. two-th.rds 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 I.
l. The taxing power shall be exer-
cised by the State and by its sub
divisions for public purposes only.
?. 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 q period not
I to exceed ten years from date OF
/ completion to encourage the estab-
/ lshment Of industrial enterprises, or
a similar exemption to Immigrants
Of the value added by them to vacant
property owned and occupied as a
! homestead, such exemptions shall not
be withdrawn either as to enter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 the
granting of the exemption. The Gen
eral 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 col
lection Of taxes in localities subject
ed to overflow or other public ca
lamity.
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 uniform on all subjects of the
same class throughout the territorial
limits of the authority leyying the
tax. All such classifications shall be
based on the characteristics of the
property itself or its use, and new
er on persons or ownership.
a. Except in case of foreign inva
sion or domestic revolution, the Gen
eral Assembly shall not haze power
tc levy any ad Valorem property taA
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 al
the members elected to each house
thereof
Article H.
/. The sources of State and lOca
revenue shall be segregated and, ex
' cept as hereinafter specified, or as
may be hereafter permitted by
vote of two-thirds of all the members
elected to each House of the Gener
j al Assembly, each taxing authorit,
shall be restricted in taxation to it:
own sources of revenue as hereil
assigned.
2. Until otherwise provided by ;
. 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.:
1st. The special taxes hereinafte,
provided for.
2nd. All corporations, private per
/, sons and unincorporated associations
that operate any railroad falling un
der the jurisdiction of the Railroad
Commission of Louisiana; street rail
road; combined street railroad ant
electric light and power business
heating or refrigeration plant, (no
inclusive of cold storage plant; tel
. ephone line; telegraph line, wheth
er wireless or otherwise; express
line, dining car, sleeping car, oil cal
: refrigerating car, or cars FOR an:
other purpose operating upon raj
roads in this state; steamboat, mot
e or boat, steamship, ferry, barge an
e tug. or other water craft, where or
@ Grated for hire, canal for transporta
ticn or irrigation, and pipe une 10
oil or gas When the electric ligh
and power business conducted IN cor
+ junction with any street railroad ca
J., be practically severed from the stree
railroad business for purposes or a:
+, sessment then such severance sha
/ be made by the Tax Commission an
e such electric light and power bushes
# shall not be a source Of State rey'
: nue.
9rd. All banks, State and NatioI
o al. including savings banks, truF
r banks and trust companies, and a
}, private bankers, whether individual
or partnerships, save that the re'
estate Of all banks and bankers sha
be locally assessed and taxed. Id
l. assessments OF the real estate {
r banks and bankers shall be equal
ed annually by the Tax Commissio
4 to tho basis established and in W