Majority not restrained by fear of increasing their own taxes on ques-

12

NOTE.-[See page 72, under "Discount for Prompt Payment," alien poll-tax
uncollected, etc.]

TAXATION OF PERSONAL PROPERTY,

19-48

Not clear that it would be constitutional to exempt from taxation,

19

Argument in support of execution of law drawn from collection of

Plans of New York commissioners given and results shown, as tested by

assessors of Boston,

34-39

Subject dealt with by older countries,

39-43

Can large revenues be obtained from the middle and poorer classes?
Extracts from reports of New York comptroller and assessors in favor of,

43-45

45-46

Taxation of Personal Property-Con.

Plan of New York city commissioner, and effect shown if applied here,

Page
46-47

Plan to tax tangible things,

47

Probable results of the adoption of new methods in other states,
Recommendation,

47-48

48

NOTE.-[See under "Discount for Prompt Payment," tables giving amount of
uncollected personalty in New York and Boston, pp. 72–3.]

INCOME TAX.

Lack of uniformity in its construction and enforcement,

Its original design, with extract from ancient laws and charters,
Not uniformly assessed,

Decision in regard to its validity,

Expediency of repeal,

If not assessed, many would go untaxed,

Income from property should not be taxed,

Theory upon which exemption is justifiable,
Recommendations,

UNITED STATES TAX ON LEGACIES AND SUCCESSIONS TO REAL ESTATE,
Should not be adopted as a source of revenue, except etc.,

SAVINGS BANKS,

Questions with reference to their taxation,—

First. In regard to deposits:

History of present system,

Results of present system,

Average rate of tax on, and rate of tax in state,

59-60

If not taxed, banks would be used as a means to escape taxation,
Claim of banks in regard to rate of tax; and that they are not used
to escape taxation,

61

61-62

Ownership of, and amount of, compared with total valuation,
In regard to increase of rate,

Second. In regard to complaints that the banks are used to escape taxation :
Method should be devised to prevent such use,.

Third. In regard to the rebate for tax on national bank shares :

As buyers of national bank stock they have great advantage over
others, on account of rebate,

Increase of ownership from 1872 to 1873, of number of shares,
State of affairs if they should purchase all the national bank stock,
Recommendation,

Tables showing amount of tax on uncollected personalty in New
York city,

Showing amount in city of Boston, from 1864 to 1870, inclusive,
System throughout the Commonwealth as good as in Boston,
Payment of alien poll-tax not generally made; the whole substantially

74

uncollected,

74

Discount for Prompt Payment-Con.

Taxes collected with remarkable completeness; consequent inquiry

Page

Expediency of making the office a separate department of the state, and
adding to its duties by making the commissioner head executive of
officers appointed to carry into effect the assessment laws, .

State should have an agent upon every local board of assessors,
Adjustment of state and county burdens would be more uniform, if, etc.,
No objection, under proposed system, to apportioning taxes each year,
Objections considered,
Recommendations,

TAXATION OF MORTGAGES,

Differences of opinion,

79-83

84

84

85

85

86

86-99

86

Systems in other states,

87

of taxation,

Nature of property and constitutional limitations to be kept in view,
Question whether their taxation is required by true theory of our system

Full value of real estate to be reached and made to contribute,

87

88

88

Abstract from report of commissioners of New Jersey, of 1868, against off-

sets, and in favor of taxing property held, .

95-98

System of offsets not successful in Connecticut,

99

Vermont law, allowing deduction for debts, not satisfactory to the people, .

Owners of United States bonds should not be permitted to extend exempt-
ing power to other property,

100

Contract between buyer and seller of lands so drawn as to exemp seller on
amount due,
Recommendation,

101

101

TAXATION OF Goods, ChattELS, MONEY AND EFFECTS, WHEREVER THEY ARE, 101-108
Assessment of merchandise located in other states often declared illegal

and unjust,

101

Petition for repeal of laws requiring assessment of capital employed and
taxed elsewhere,

102

Decision of court in regard to situs of personal property, etc.,

103

Opinion of commissioners on revision of Massachusetts laws, 1834,
Assumption unfounded that courts have decided adversely to methods in

104

use in Massachusetts,

104

State has power to assess personal property wherever found, excepting, etc.,
Interests of Commonwealth would not be enhanced by repeal of present law,

104

105

Taxation of Goods, &c.-Con.

Page

Claim that taxation is the correlation of protection,

105

Policy of assessing personal property without the state,
Opinion in favor of extra-territorial taxation, .

TAXATION OF CONSIGNED Goods,

Merchandise owned outside the state and consigned for sale here, not
taxable,

108

Effect of attempt to raise revenue by tax on sales at auction,
Present exemption justified by conditions beyond our control,

108

109

Conditions modified, .

109-111

Classes of consigned goods,

111

Effect of their taxation,

111

Merchandise brought here to meet local demand should be taxed,

112

Law presents peculiar facilities for evading taxation,

Effect of party's own testimony on question of domicile,
Law passed designed to prevent assessment for less amount than taxed for
in place of last residence; its effect considered,
Defect of present methods,

Remedy proposed,

Recommendation,

117

118

GENERAL CORPORATION Tax, .

122-128

Methods in use in 1860-1, ineffective,

123

Imposition of tax in 1862 on savings banks for their deposits, and upon
insurance companies,

124

Law of 1863 taxing dividends paid by corporations, declared unconstitu-
tional; repealed, and law now in force adopted,

Large revenue derived until banks became extinct by being changed into
national banks,

Method of taxation varied and consequently embarrassing to assessors,
Recommendation,

135

136