132 
TAXATION AND REVENUE SYSTEMS—MISSOURI. 
property, real and personal, including franchises, in the same man 
ner as railroad property. Penalty for failure to render the required^ 
statement is forfeiture of $100 for county public school fund in each 
county in which such bridge, express, telegraph, or telephone 
company has used its franchises. 
The franchises (other than the right to be a corporation) of all 
conduit, water, electric light, and gas companies, and of all similar 
quasi public corporations possessing special and peculiar privileges 
and authorized by law to perform public service, are assessed locally 
as other property of such corporations is assessed. 
c. Equalization.—Cities of the first class have their 
own boards of appeal, which equalize the city assess 
ment. 
The county board of equalization equalizes the val 
uation on all real and personal property in the county 
to make it conform to its true value. 
The state board of equalization adjusts and equal 
izes the valuation of real and personal property among 
the several counties in the state. It has power to 
equalize the assessment of each class of property, real 
and personal, separately. 
2. Rate— 
The state tax on property, exclusive of the tax neces 
sary to pay the bonded debt of the state, is fixed by 
the constitution and is not to exceed 20 cents on the 
$100 valuation; and whenever the taxable property of 
the state amounts to $900,000,000 the rate is not to 
exceed 15 cents. For the payment of state indebted 
ness the rate is 2 cents on the $100. 
The qualified electors of the state at a special elec 
tion in August, 1911, voted to levy an annual tax of 2 
cents on each $100 valuation to provide for accruing 
interest on bonds and the creation of a sinking fund 
for the purpose of erecting a new state capitol. 
3. Collection— 
Taxes are collected by the collector of revenue 
for the county. He gives notice when the taxpayers 
are to meet him and pay their taxes. After October 
1 the collector may seize and sell goods and chattels as 
under execution, and after January 1, 1 per cent a 
month is added. Taxes are a lien on real property on 
which they are assessed, and after January 1 the state’s 
liens for taxes may be enforced by suit and sale. 
Railroad taxes due the state, county, cities, towns, villages, and 
school districts are due September 1 and payable to the county col 
lector. These taxes are delinquent after January 1 and collection 
is enforced by suit. 
The collector is compensated by commissions on the 
amount collected. 
B. POLL TAXES. 
There is no state poll tax. (See County Revenues.) 
C. THE INHERITANCE TAX. 
All property passing by will or by the intestate laws 
of the state, or transferred in contemplation of death, 
other than to the father, mother, husband, wife, 
adopted child, or direct lineal descendant, is subject to 
a tax of $5 on each $100 of clear market value. Prop 
erty conveyed for educational, charitable, or religious 
purposes exclusively is exempt. The proceeds of this 
tax go to the state university. 
This tax becomes due and payable at the death of 
the decedent. If paid within 6 months a discount 
of 5 per cent is allowed; if not paid at the expiration 
of 1 year interest as provided for delinquent taxes is 
charged from date of accrual until paid. 
D. CORPORATION TAXES. 
Corporations are in general taxed on their property 
as individuals. 
Express companies pay a state tax of 11 per cent of their gross 
receipts within the state. 
Domestic insurance companies are taxed on their property and 
paid-up capital stock. Foreign insurance companies are assessed 
on premiums received in the state at the rate of 2 per cent per annum 
in lieu of all other taxes except that fire insurance companies are 
credited with canceled or returned premiums actually paid during 
the year, and with premiums on reinsurance with companies 
licensed in the state. One-half of this tax goes to the county foreign 
insurance tax fund for schools, and is apportioned to the counties 
according to the number of school children. St. Louis is accounted 
a county in the apportionment. 
E. BUSINESS TAXES, LICENSES, AND FEES. 
The taxes on merchants and on manufacturers are 
in form license taxes, but are in fact property taxes. 
Both state and counties include them in their reports 
of general property taxes. 
Merchants.—No person may deal as a merchant without a license. 
The tax is an ad valorem tax equal to that levied on real estate and 
based on the highest amount of all goods, wares, and merchandise 
merchants may have in their possession between the first Monday in 
March and the first Monday in June, a statement of which every 
merchant is required to make to the county assessor. Commission 
merchants are not required to pay on unmanufactured articles 
merely consigned for sale. The license authorizes the merchant to 
deal at only one place within the county. 
Manufacturers.—All manufacturers are to be licensed and taxed 
on all raw material and finished products, as well as on all the tools, 
machinery, and appliances used by them, in the same manner as 
merchants. They are to make their statement of the greatest aggre 
gate amount of raw material and finished products on hand between 
the first Monday in March and the first Monday in June. Beer man 
ufacturers in the state are subject to state inspection, and for their 
services the inspectors receive a fee of £ cent a gallon for inspecting 
and gauging, and 1 cent for labeling each package. Twenty-four 
quart and 48 pint bottles are considered as constituting a package, 
in the meaning of the law. Packages containing over 8 gallons are 
construed as constituting one package for every 8 gallons and 
fractions thereof. 
Taxidermy.—Permit, annual, $1. 
Dealers in futures.—The sale of stocks, bonds, and commodities 
for future delivery requires a written memorandum on which shall 
be placed a state stamp of the value of 25 cents. 
Auctioneers.—License for 10 days, $10; for one month, $25; for 
three months, $50; for six months, $75, and in addition a collector’s 
fee of 50 cents for each license. There is also a tax of 1£ per cent on 
the proceeds of all sales of personal property except corporation 
stocks. The county courts may graduate the license tax to be 
imposed on each license, provided that the tax to the state for six