§ 2. The Tax Commission shall:

(1) Direct and supervise as provided by this Act, the assessment for taxation of all real and personal property in this State to the end that all assessments of property be made relatively just and equal;

(2) Confer with, advise and assist local assessment officers relative

to the assessment of property for taxation;

(3) Prescribe general rules and regulations, not inconsistent with law, for local assessment officers relative to the assessment of property for taxation, which general rules and regulations shall be binding upon all local assessment officers and shall be obeyed by them respectively until reversed, annulled or modified by a court of competent jurisdiction;

(4) Prescribe or approve the form of blanks for schedules, returns, reports, complaints, notices and other documents, files and records authorized or required by and provision of law relating to the assessment of property, or by any rule and regulation of the commission and all assessing officers shall use true copies of such blank forms;

(5) Assess the railroad property denominated "railroad track” and "rolling stock";

(6) Assess, and value, in the manner provided by law, the capital stock, including the franchise, of all companies or associations now or hereafter incorporated under the laws of this State, except companies and associations organized for purely manufacturing and mercantile purposes, or for either of such purposes, or for the mining and sale of coal or for printing or for the publishing of newspapers or for the improving and breeding of stock, of for the purpose of banking, including any of such property as may have been omitted from assessment in any year or years, or which, from defective description has not paid any taxes for any year or years;

(7) Equalize the valuation and assessment of property throughout the State between the different counties of the State and fix the aggregate amount of the assessment for each county upon which taxes shall be extended;

(8) Keep a correct record of its acts and doings relative to the assessment of property and the equalization of assessments.

3. The Tax Commission shall have power:

(1) To require local assessment officers to meet with it from time to time for the purpose of considering matters relative to taxation;

(2) To formulate and recommend legislation for the improvement of the system of taxation of property and for the equalization of the taxation of the State;

(3) To make such research and investigation as to the properties of corporations and the true values of the franchise and properties of all corporations incorporated under the laws of this State, except companies and associations organized for purely manufacturing and mercantile purposes, or for either of such purposes, or for the mining and sale of coal, or for printing or for the publishing of newspapers or for the improving and breeding of stock, or for the purpose of banking, as will enable it to ascertain the fair cash value of the capital stock, including the franchise, of such corporations as are assessed by it and to obtain

such further data and information upon which general rules and regulations may be based;

(4) To investigate the tax systems of other states and countries; (5) To request the institution of proceedings, actions and prosecutions to enforce the laws relating to the penalties, liabilities and punishment of public officers, persons, or officers or agents of corporations for failure or neglect to comply with this Act;

(6) To order in any year a re-assessment of all real and personal property, or real or personal property, or any class of personal property, in any county, or in any assessment district thereof, when in its judg ment such re-assessment is desirable or necessary, and for that purpose to cause such re-assessment to be made by the local asessment officers, and cause it to be substituted for the original assessment;

(7) To take testimony and proofs under oath and to require the production of books, papers and documents pertinent to any assessment, investigation or inquiry and for that purpose to subpoena and compel the attendance of witnesses;

(8) To require from all State and local officers such information. as may be necessary for the proper discharge of its duties;

(9) To examine and make memoranda from all records, books, papers, documents, statements of account on record or on file in any public office of the State or of any county, township, road district, city, village, incorporated town, school district or any other taxing district of the State and all public officers having charge or custody of such records shall furnish to the commission information of any and all matters on file or of record in their respective offices;

(10) To adopt, from time to time, rules not inconsistent with law, for ascertaining the fair cash value of the capital stock, including the franchise, of corporations assessed by it.

§ 4. Certified copies of the records of the Tax Commission pertaining to the assessment of property and the equalization of assessments, attested by the seal of the Department of Finance, shall be received in evidence in all courts with like effect as certified copies of other public records.

§ 5. Each officer in the Tax Commission, each employee of the commission and each other competent person specially delegated in writing for that purpose, shall have the power to administer all oaths authorized or required under the provisions of this Act.

6. Any sheriff, constable or other person may serve any subpoena issued under the provisions of this Act.

§ 7. The fees and mileage of witnesses attending any hearing held by the tax commission under the provisions of this Act, pursuant to any subpoena, shall be the same as those of witnesses in civil cases in the Circuit Court in counties of the second class. Such fees and mileage. shall be paid by the State.

§ 8. In case any person refuses to comply with any subpoena issued by the Tax Commission, or to produce or to permit the examination or inspection of any books, papers and documents pertinent to any assessment, investigation or inquiry, or to testify to any matter regarding

which he may be lawfully interrogated, the Circuit Court or County Court of the county in which such matter or hearing is pending, on application of the Tax Commission, shall compel obedience by attachment proceedings as for contempt, as in a case of disobedience of the requirements of a subpoena from such court on a refusal to testify therein.

§ 9. Upon the completion of the original assessments to be made by the Tax Commission, it shall publish a full and complete list of such assessments in the State "official newspaper". Any person or corporation feeling aggrieved by any such assessment may, within ten days of the date of publication of such "official newspaper" containing such list, apply to the Tax Commission for a review and correction of the assessment complained of. Upon such review the Tax Commission may make such correction, if any, therein as may be just and right.

§ 10. Any person feeling himself aggrieved by any assessment made by the Tax Commission may appeal to the Circuit Court of the county in which such property or some part thereof is situated, for the purpose of having the lawfulness of such assessment inquired into and determined.

The person taking such appeal shall file with the Tax Commission written notice of such appeal, which notice shall state in full the grounds of such appeal. Such notice of appeal shall be filed within ten days after such assessment is made and notice given thereof. Thereupon the Tax Commission shall prepare and transmit to the clerk of the court to which such appeal is taken a copy of such notice of appeal and a copy of all evidence, documents, papers, books and files pertaining to such appeal, which copies shall be certified to as correct by the Director of Finance. The appeal shall be heard without formal pleadings upon the record so certified by the Tax Commission. Appeals shall lie from the judgment. of the Circuit Court to the Supreme Court. The remedy by appeal here-in provided for shall not be construed to be exclusive.

§ 11. No appeal to the Circuit Court from an assessment made by the tax commission shall stay or suspend any assessment or the extension of any taxes thereon. If the court, by its final judgment, should set aside or reduce such assessment, and the taxes so erroneously assessed shall have been paid, the person or corporation so erroneously paying such taxes shall be entitled to a refund thereof as provided by section 268 of an Act entitled, "An Act for the assessment of property and for the levy and collection of taxes," approved March 30, 1872, in force July 1, 1872.

RE-ASSESSMENTS.

§ 12. Whenever it shall appear to the Tax Commission that the real or personal property in any county, or in any assessment district thereof, has not been assessed in substantial compliance with law, or has been unequally or improperly assessed, the Tax Commission may, in its discretion, in any year order a re-assessment for such year of all or any class of the taxable property in such county, or assessment district thereof. The Tax Commission may order such re-assessment made by the local

assessment officers. The order directing such re-assessment shall be filed in the office of the county treasurer of the county in which such reassessment has been ordered, except in counties having an elective board of review in which case such order shall be filed with the board of

review.

§ 13. Such re-assessment shall be made in the same manner and subject to the same laws and rules as an original assessment and shall be subject to review and correction by the board of review as in case of an original assessment.

14. For the purpose of reviewing and equalizing such re-assessment, the board of review of the county in which the re-assessment is made shall review and correct such re-assessment. The Tax Commission shall fix the time and place of the meeting of the board of review to review and correct such re-assessment. At least one week before the meeting of such board of review to review and correct such re-assessment, the board of review shall publish a notice of the time and place of its meeting for such purpose in at least one newspaper of general circulation published in the county in which such re-assessment is made. The board of review shall convene at the time and place fixed in such order and shall review, correct, return and certify such re-assessment in like manner, and shall have and exercise all the powers and authority given to boards of review and shall be subject to all the restrictions, duties and penalties of such boards.

§ 15. Such local assessment officer while engaged in making such re-assessment, shall have custody and possession of the assessment books containing the original assessment and all property and other statements and memoranda relating thereto, and the person having the custody thereof shall deliver such assessment books and such property to the local assessment officer on demand. He shall, in making such re-assessment, have all the power and authority given by law to local assessment officers and shall be subject to all the restrictions, liabilities and penalties imposed by law upon local assessment officers.

§ 16. Such re-assessment, when completed and reviewed as provided herein, shall be the assessment upon which taxes for that year shall be levied and extended in the county or assessment district for which made.

§ 17. The necessary books, records and blank forms needful for the purpose of such re-assessment shall be furnished by the same authorities that furnish books, records and blank forms for an original assessment. The local assessment officer and the members of the board of review when convened in extraordinary session for the purpose of making such re-assessment or of reviewing and correcting the same shall receive the same conipensation as for like service in making, or in reviewing, an original assessment, which compensation, as well as all other expenses in making the re-assessment, shall be paid by the county on the certificate of the Tax Commission.

EQUALIZATION.

§ 18. The Tax Commission shall act as an equalizing authority. It shall examine the abstracts of property assessed for taxation in the several counties as returned by the county clerks and the original assessments made by it, and shall equalize the assessments as in this Act provided. The Tax Commission may so lower or raise the total assessed value of property in any county as returned by the county clerk as shall make the property in such county bear a just relation to the assessed value of property in other counties. The total amount of such increase or decrease in any one county shall not exceed ten per cent of the total assessed value of all property in the State as returned for purposes of taxation. The Tax Commission shall not reduce the aggregate assessed valuation in the State; nor shall it increase such aggregate valuation, except in such amount as may be necessary to a just equalization.

§ 19. The Tax Commission in equalizng the valuation of property as listed and assessed in different counties, shall consider the following classes of property separately, viz: personal property, railroad and telegraph property; lands; town and city lots; and the capital and other property of public utilities and of companies and associations assessed by the Tax Commission and, upon such consideraton determine such rates of addition to or deduction from the listed or assessed valuation of each of such classes of property in each county, or to or from the aggregate assessed value of each of such classes in the State, as may be deemed by the Tax Commission to be equitable and just such rates being in all cases even and not fractional; and such rates, as finally determined by the tax commission shall not be combined.

§ 20. In equalizing the value of personal property between the several counties, the Tax Commission shall cause to be obtained the State averages of the several kinds of enumerated property, from the aggregate footings of the number and value of each; and the value of the several kinds of enumerated property in each county shall be obtained at those average values; and the value of the enumerated property thus obtained, as compared with the assessed value of such property in each county shall be taken by the Tax Commission to obtain a rate per cent. to be added to or deducted from the total assessed value of such property in each county. Whenever, in the opinion of the Tax Commission it is necessary, to a more just and equitable equalization of such property, that a rate per cent be added to or deducted from the value thus obtained in any one or more of the counties, the Tax Commission shall have the right so to do; but the rate per cent heretofore required shall first be obtained to form the basis upon which the equalization of personal property shall be made.

§ 21. Lands shall be equalized by adding to the aggregate assessed value thereof, in every county in which the Tax Commission may believe the valuation to be too low, such rate per centum as will raise the same to its proper proportionate value, and by deducting from the aggregate assessed value thereof, in every county in which the Tax Commission may believe the valuation to be too high, such per centum as will reduce the same to its proper value. Town and city lots shall be equalized in the