Evening star., 1925-01-09
TAXUPON VISITORS
CALIFORNIA SCHEME
All VaIuabIes Within Scope OF
New Law Affecting Every
NONRESIDENT.
BY Consolidated Press.

BY Consolidated Press
SACRAMENTO, January 5.-The
most popular indoor and outdoor
sport of persons visiting California
In the future is going to be dodgine
the tax collectors
Not that tourists and other So
1ourners in the Golden State have
oeen immune from much artful dodg
ing of the tax. They haven't-as
many temporary visitors who have
been hunted out by tax assessors
with demands to know whether they
have diamonds or money in the bank
or mortgages in other States can
testify.
Hitherto the tourist and the non
resident have had an advantage
They could both ignore and defy with
1mpunity the pertinacious and fire.
Quently impertinent tax seeker. No
longer. however.
From now on the State of Cali
1ornia has a legal lien upon and legal
right, according to it's own laws, to
impose and collect a tax upon any
thing a visitor may possess, whether
IT be diamonds of other kinds of
gems or jewelry, money in the bank,
stocks or bonds of corporations in
other States. mortgages in other
commemorative fact, anything of
value.
Not only that. but it isn't going to
make any difference whether the tax
ed person is nonresident or not,
whether he is a 30-day tourist, a
Winter sojourner, or one of those
from other States, who-they live
here the year around-never take up
q legal residence" for a variety of
reasons-usually taxationaL
Rate to be Fixed.
The California State Legislature,
which goes into biennial session here
next week, is scheduled to add the
nnal touches to the legal taxing of
anything taxable possessed by any
body who ventures inside the Cali
fornia State line. 1t will fix the rate
of taxes to be imposed. The law pro-
Niding for such tax was adopted
by the voters of California by a
popular referendum last November
Briefly SUMMARIZED the new tax
measure provides for the assessment
levy and collection of taxes upon all
notes, debentures, shares, capital
stock, bonds, solvent credits or mort
cages now exempt from taxation, under
the Constitution"
In case the nonresident visitor has
nothing tangible which can be listed
by the tax collector he still will have
10 pay something. Another law pass
ed by referendum vote at the last
election imposes a poll tax" of S5
upon any other kind.
Both new tax measures provide
that the State shall "divvy' with the
county or municipality collecting
them, thus insuring a house-to-house
canvass by the tax assessors.
Strange to 31fhOnpb hptb Ia
were passed by popular referendum
vote, neither is in such high favor
right now. Business men point out
that California is already on a taxing
par with any other State in the
Union, and that new added taxes on
visitors will mean mo visitors"
Excess Burden on Citizens.
Persons who reside permanently in
California already have a pretty fair
excess tax burden to carry. Property
owners, in addition to regular prop
erty taxes, ranging from So to 81 on
sle0 valuation, also have to pay
personal property taxes on home fur
nishings at even higher rates.
If they are in business. they
also have TO pay business
tax and on top Of that Ii
cense tax. Owners of automobiles
also bear a heavy tax load. First
they must pay personal prop
erty tax, then a yearly license fee
to the State for the privilege of
operating their machines, and finally
q 2-cent-a- gallon tax on all the gaso-
line they burn.
When the Golden States new tax
tourist laws get hitting on all six
California can probably lay uncon-
tested claim TO Ibeing Uncle Sans
best taxing commonwealth.