TAXATION AND REVENUE SYSTEMS—ARKANSAS. 
25 
To aid the assessor in determining the true value of its property, 
each corporation, including gas, telephone, bridge, street railroad, 
savings bank, mutual loan, building, transportation, and construc 
tion companies, is required to list not only the true value of all 
tangible property, but the market value (or actual value) of its 
paid-up capital stock and the total amount of its indebtedness. 
In the case of any telephone company, the total pole miles, and 
total stations constitute, for the purposes of taxation, the entire 
value of the company’s property. 
The assessment of railroads includes railroad track, franchises, 
rolling stock, water and woo'd stations, passenger and freight depots, 
offices, furniture, and other such property, both real and personal. 
Only the rolling stock owned or leased for a term of not less than 
six months by railroads in this state is assessed. The ‘ ‘railroad 
track” is assessed without special reference to its relation to the 
entire system within and without the state, but that proportion 
only of the total rolling stock is assessed which the mileage in the 
state bears to the total mileage. The assessment made by the state 
board is apportioned among the counties on the basis of mileage. 
The penalties for failure to make returns to the assessor are: For 
individuals, $1 as fee to assessor, half of which goes to the as 
sessor and half to the common school fund; delinquency may be 
treated as a misdemeanor subject to a fine of not to exceed $100, or 
imprisonment not to exceed three months, or both; for banks and 
corporations generally, 50 per cent is added to assessment; for sleep 
ing car companies for false statement, prosecution of officer for per 
jury; for false statement by officers of railroads, a fine of not less than 
$1,000 nor more than $10,000 is imposed. 
For refusal of the taxpayer to make a list of his property after de 
mand duly made by the assessor, a penalty equal to 50 per cent of the 
total taxes on the property for that year is assessed against it, and upon 
the property of any delinquent whom the assessor is unable to find 
there is assessed an amount equal to 25 per cent of the taxes thereon. | 
The assessor is compensated for his services by the following fees: 
For each assessment of personal property, including assessment 
covering poll tax, 25 cents; for assessing real estate in each congres 
sional township, $12; in fractional townships for each section of more 
than 40 acres, 33J cents; for assessing real estate in cities of more 
than 40,000 inhabitants, for each ward, $125; in cities of more than 
10,000 and less than 40,000 inhabitants, for each ward, $100; in cities 
of 10,000 inhabitants or less, for each ward, $50; in incorporated 
towns of more than 1,000 inhabitants, $50; in towns or villages of 
500 to 1,000 inhabitants, $25; in villages of less than 500 inhabitants, 
$12; for each list of real property of unknown or nonresident owners, 
$1; for listing property of those who make no return, one-half of the 
$1 charged to taxpayer. The assessor has to attend in each precinct 
for receiving lists. 
For assessing property outside of incorporated cities and towns, 
one-half of the amount paid the assessor is paid by the state and one- 
half by the county; for assessing property located in cities and 
towns, one-third is paid by the municipality, one-third by the 
county, and one-third by the state. 
c. Equalization.—The county board of supervisors 
of assessments sitting as a board of equalization lias 
power to raise or lower individual assessments, to cor 
rect errors, and to add property omitted, to the end 
that all property shall be assessed at its true and full 
value in money. In this work it is assisted by the 
clerk of the county court. In August of each year 
the board, with the county judge as chairman thereof, 
meets as a board of revision and appeals for the pur 
pose of hearing complaints of taxpayers. An appeal 
from the action of the board lies to the county court 
within thirty days after a final order has been made. 
The state tax commission meets in September of 
each year for the purpose of equalizing the assess 
ments of the real and personal property of the state. 
| This commission hears appeals from the several county 
boards of supervisors of assessments, and may change 
the aggregate valuation of all property. It may, in its 
discretion, either equalize assessments itself or it may 
call a special session of the board of supervisors of 
assessments of the county to sit as a board of equaliza 
tion and a board of revision and appeal. Appeal may 
be taken in the same manner as from the decisions 
made at regular sessions. 
2. Rate— 
The rate for state purposes is fixed by statute, but 
is limited by the constitution to 1 per cent on the 
assessed valuation. 
In 1912 it was, on each $100 of valuation, 4^ cents for state capitol 
fund, 13£ cents for pension fund, 22£ cents for general fund, and 27 
cents for school fund—total 67£ cents, or 6f mills on the dollar. 
3. Collection— 
Taxes are extended by the clerk of the county court. 
The lien for taxes attaches on the first Monday in 
June. The sheriff of each county is the tax collector. 
He or his deputies attend in each election precinct, 
after the 1st day of February, for the collection of 
taxes. Taxes on real and personal property become 
delinquent after the 10th day of April, and may then be 
collected by distraint. The penalty for delinquency 
is 10 per cent. 
The collector is paid by commissions, as follows: 
For the first $10,000, 5 per cent; for all sums over $10,000 and 
under $20,000, 3 per cent; for all sums over $20,000, 2 per cent. 
B. POLL TAX. 
While the poll tax is authorized by the State Con 
stitution, each county collects and retains the whole 
amount collected. (See County poll taxes.) 
C. THE INHERITANCE TAX. 
All property, whether belonging to inhabitants of 
the state or not, tangible or intangible, which passes 
by will or by the intestate laws of the state, or by deed, 
grant, sale, or gift, made or intended to take effect after 
death of the grantor, to any person or corporation in 
trust or otherwise, is subject to an inheritance tax. 
When the property passes to a grandfather, grandmother, father, 
mother, husband, wife, lineal descendant, brother, sister, or any 
adopted child, the tax is 1 per cent of the clear market value of the 
estate in excess of $5,000. When the property passes to any uncle, 
aunt, niece, nephew, or any lineal descendant of the same, the rate 
is 2 per cent of the clear market value of such property in excess of 
$2,000. In all other cases, the rate is as follows: On all estates of 
$1,000 to $10,000, 3 per cent; $10,000 to $20,000, 4 per cent; $20,000 
to $50,000, 5 per cent; over $50,000, 6 per cent. 
The tax is payable to the state treasurer at the death of the de 
cedent. If not paid within 12 months thereafter interest at the 
rate of 9 per cent is collected from the time the tax became due. 
The court of probate having jurisdiction determines all questions 
arising in connection with the tax, and no executor or administrator 
can be discharged until proof of payment is submitted.