The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-12-19

The first meeting of the Tax Re
vision Commission appointed by GOV
ernor Richie, under the provisions
of Chapter AT of the Acts OF the
General Assembly of 1922, was held
on Thursday, December 14th, l92Z.
The members of the COMMISSION are:
Francis King Carey,
William H. Maltbie,
j. Augustine Mason,
Frank Novak
George C. Smith.
Mr.. Carey and Mr.. Maltbie are
members of the Baltimore Bar; Mr..
Mason is a prominent lawyer OF
Hagerstown; Mr. Novak is well
known Baltimore builder, and MI.
Smith is the Director OF the Indus
trial Bureau of the Board of Trade or
Baltimore.
All of the members of the Com
mission are requested by the Act OF
serve without pay
Mr.. Carey was chosen Chairman OF
the Commission and Mr.. Maltbie wee
chairman.
Bv the terms Of the Act under
which it was appointed the Commls-
sion is requested to investigate the
systems of State, County and NUM-
c.;.al taxation in force in Maryland
aud to inquire into their practlcai
operation and effect i'll the raising OIL
ADEQUATE revenue. The COMMISSION
is instructed to inquire into the sys-
TENS of State. County and Municipal
taxation in force in other States ana
10 ascertain their practical operation
and effect, aad is instructed 10 make
a printed report TO inc Governor by
December /, 1928, for his use and
for transmission by him to the Cen
eral Assembly of 1924; which re
rort is to.contain a draft of a gen
eral system OF law providing for the
imposition and collection of revenue,
taxes and charges in the State OF
Maryland.
At the conclusion of the meeting
Mr.. Carey made the following state
ment:
Governor Richie has asked the
"a: Revision Commission to perform
very difficult anu responsible piece
of work land although all OF us nave
been selected by the Governor With
out any consultation with US, we have
ali thought it our duty to accept the
amendments and have entered ag-
excessively upon our investigations.
THE Act requires all public OF
ficers of the State to supply us, on re
quest. with all needed information
bat our Commission feels that as it
has Statewide responsibility
which it must, of course, exercise III
an absolutely impartial fashion, II
must have the warmest eo-operatlon
and support from all the<officials OF
the State who have to do with the
questions Of taxation in the cities
will seize upon the earliest oppor-
UNITY 10 confer with these officials
and counties of the State, and we
and invite their advice aud sugSas-
lions. In the meantime, we will set
in motion machinery for collecting,
recording and digestins ail/possible
information which we can obtain
from other States, many Of which, we
understand. have recently completed
and reported upon Investigations oil
this character, and in some OF which
modernized machinery for assessing
and collecting taXe1 EaG been ii opel-
alton. long enough to give reasonable
evidence of its practical operation
Whether our Commission recon-
mends to Governor Richie, as the
result OF oul study and radical
changes in the present tax laws or
hot, | think the entire Bar of the
State and all or the taxing authori-
ties will agree with us in thinking
that the existing laws can at least be
put in . more orderly and Ineligible
form without the exercise OF any high
ability in Statute writing; and even
il we find it unnecessary or undesira-
able to recommend any radical
changes III the taxing system of
Maryland, 1 think we may be able to
render real service to the public by
recodifying the existing law so that
it will be>found under one article and
can be read and understood by a man
or ordinary intelligence.
TT is perhaps unnecessary to say
that the members of our Commission
will take the greatest pleasure in re-
eaiving and carefully considering any
suggestions which ANYBODY is good
enough to make to US. During the
coming spring and summer it is the
purpose of the members of the Com
mission to visit each one of the coun-