Tax payers are required to make a re- turn under oath

Pennsylvania

Constitution, 1874, art. 9, sec. 1. All taxes shall be uniform, upon the same class of subjects, within the territorial limits of the authority levying the tax, and shall be levied and collected under general laws.

Present Law. Dig. 1894, vol. 2, p. 1963. ff. sec. 1, 2. All personal property mortgages are specifically mentioned owned, held, or possessed, by any person or corporation, is taxable annually for state purposes at the rate of four mills on each dollar of its value.

sec. 3, 6. Tax payers are required to make a re- turn under oath, showing the property held, owned, or possessed by them in their own right, or in any other capacity. If they refuse to make out this re- turn properly verified by oath, the assessor must make it out from the information he is able to obtain, and after this list is revised and corrected by the county commissioners or board of revision, 50 per cent is added to form the aggregate amount for taxation.

sec. 8, 10. The register of deeds keeps a separate list containing detailed information relating to each mortgage recorded in his office, this list is filed each month in the commissioner’s office or with the board of revision of taxes. If the mortgagee resides in an- other county, a certified statement containing the in- formation required for assessment is transmitted to the proper officers of the county where he does reside.

sec. 11, 12. The county commissioners, or board of revision of taxes, with the information in their pos- session, prepare statements and deliver them to the assessors showing the number and amount of mort- gages held by each person within the different assess- ment districts of the county. With this list at hand, the assessor is able to compare and check up the re- turns made and sworn to by each person and corpora- tion.

sec. 18, 19. The tax is collected and paid to the county and city treasurers, and they in turn pay it to the state treasurer. Three-fourths of the net amount collected from mortgages and other forms of personal property is returned to the counties for their own use.

sec. 26. It is unlawful for any person or corpora- tion loaning money at interest to require the borrower to pay the taxes imposed by this act, and in all cases where the taxes are paid by the borrower, the law re- quires that such payments be deemed usury and pun- ishable as such. This law was amended in 1899 (no. 39) and in 1905 (no. 134), but no material change was made.

Rhode Island

Constitution, 1842, art. 4, sec. 15. The general as- sembly shall, from time to time, provide for making new valuations of property for the assessment of taxes, in such manner as they deem best.

Present Law. Laws, 1905, c. 1246. In Rhode Is- land mortgages are taxable as personal property. Both real and personal property are taxable (sec. 2) and personal property for the purposes of taxation is deemed to include debts due from solvent persons (sec. 5).

South Carolina

Constitution, 1895, art. 10, sec. 1. The general assem- bly shall provide by law for a uniform and equal rate of assessment and taxation, and shall prescribe regu- lations to secure a just valuation for taxation of all property, real, personal and possessory.

Present Law. Code of Laws, 1902, vol. 1, sec. 260, 268, 271. In South Carolina mortgages are taxable as personal property.

South Dakota

Constitution, 1889, art. 11, sec. 2. Ail taxes to be raised in this state shall be uniform on all real and personal property, according to its value in money.

Present Law. Rev. Code, 1903. Mortgages are taxable as personal property. Credits are held to mean and include all claims and demands secured by deeds or mortgages due or to become due (sec. 2052), and all resident tax payers are required to list all mon- eys and credits, moneys loaned or invested (sec. 2058).