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Show STATE MINE TAX LAW. Failure to enact a revenue law at this session of the legislature is liable to place a considerable additional burden on property other than mines, in the opinion of attorneys and others who have studied the question. It is pointed out that the constitutional constitu-tional amendment adopted last fall and now in effect, makes i,t impossible to tax net proceeds of mines as such, but requires instead that net proceeds be used only to fix the taxable value of metal mines. If the position of the state's legal department is accepted, which holds that the amendment is not self -executing, it follows that, in the absence of legislation under the new constitutional provision, mine proceeds cannot be taxed at all. The occupation tax will permit the collection of 2 per cent of the net proceeds pro-ceeds by the state, but no authority will exist for the assessment of mine proceeds pro-ceeds for local purposes. This would leave the various counties and other taxing subdivisions with no revenue from the mines except what they could realize through assessing the surface ground of the mines and the mine improvements. im-provements. As by far the greater portion por-tion of the revenue from mining comes through the net proceeds, taxes on other kinds of property would, therefore, have to be increased materially to provide the necessary local revenues. It is admitted that the revenue from mines would be the same under the senate sen-ate bill as under the house amendment of that bill, while the provision approved ap-proved by the senate has the further advantages ad-vantages of being more equitable and in' harmony with the practice employed in connection with assessment of other property. It is difficult to forecast all the consequences con-sequences that will follow failure of the legislature to act, but they will undoubtedly un-doubtedly be many and perplexing. It is to be hoped," for their own peace of mind, that the legislators who are opposing op-posing the senate measure will be able to evolve for their constituents a better justification of their attitude than has yet been promulgated. |