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earlier, I am sorry, but this is the way it
looks to me.
THE CHAIRMAN: That apparently
concludes the questioning. The Chair on
behalf of the Committee expresses its
thanks to you, Delegate Case, for the very
trying and lengthy period of questioning.
(Applause.)
THE CHAIRMAN: Will the Clerk ring
the quorum bell, please?
Delegate Harry Taylor.
DELEGATE H. TAYLOR: I rise on a
point of personal privilege.
Mr. Chairman and ladies and gentlemen
of the Convention, I do not know whether
you are as fortunate as I am, but I have
many penpals here in this hall, and I have
been the recipient of many notes since the
Convention convened. Some of these notes
are anonymous. Some of them are nom de
plumes. I hope that the couriers of these
notes do not read the contents because if
they do our pages are going to have ac-
quired knowledge on many subjects other
than the constitution and how a constitu-
tion is drafted, but I suggest, Mr. Chair-
man, that these notes be preserved along
with the events that provoke them and that
they be put in a scrapbook by the historian
so that one hundred years from now when
a scholar reads over the text of the ques-
tions on taxation that have been asked
here this morning he may turn to the
scrapbook and there under "Tax" he may
turn up something that will give him the
true spirit and atmosphere of this Con-
vention. I will give you one he might find:
"Today we talked about tax. The questions
were breaking our backs. Then President
Eney ever so keenly confused the issue with
facts."
(Laughter and applause.)
THE CHAIRMAN: Delegate Taylor, I
think I should add at that point only this
morning I approved a memorandum to all
delegates requesting them to turn over to
the historian any records of interest con-
cerning the conduct of the Convention
which may have been accumulated in their
personal files. The memorandum states that
all such records will be carefully preserved
and will bear the notation indicating their
source.
(Laughter and applause.)
THE CHAIRMAN: Section 8.01 is now
open to amendment. We should take it up
by subdivisions. Section 8. 01 (a). Are there
any amendments?
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(There was no response.)
The Chair hears none.
Delegate Weidemeyer.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Mr.
Chairman, I have an amendment to section
8.01.
THE CHAIRMAN: Section 8.01 (a), are
there any amendments?
The Chair hears none.
Section 8. 01 (b), and please consider sec-
tion 8.01 (b) in the light of the statements
made earlier concerning its purpose and
intent. Are there any amendments to sec-
tion 8.01 (b)?
The Chair hears none.
Pages will please distribute Amend-
ment D.
Delegate Case, the Chair suggests that
you come forward during this portion of
the consideration of SF-3 and take a chair
at the front. The amendment marked "D"
will be Amendment No. 1. The Clerk will
read Amendment No. 1 to Committee Rec-
ommendation SF-3 by Delegate Weidemeyer.
READING CLERK: On page 1 section
8.01, Power to Tax, following line 24 add
the following:
"(e) The State shall not levy, nor shall
it allow any political subdivision to levy a
tax on income, excluding deductions and
exemptions; except that, whenever and for
such period of time as the federal tax on
incomes is reduced, this rate may be in-
creased in the same amount by which the
federal tax is reduced."
THE CHAIRMAN: The amendment is
proposed by Delegate Weidemeyer. Is there
a second?
(The amendment -was duly seconded.)
THE CHAIRMAN: The amendment hav-
ing been seconded, the Chair recognizes
Delegate Weidemeyer to speak to the
amendment.
DELEGATE WEIDEMEYER: Mr.
Chairman and ladies and gentlemen of the
Convention, this would be a limitation on
the taxing power to levy income taxes. As
you know, we have a five per cent tax on
income which now under the new law em-
braces capital gain, long term capital gain,
which greatly increases the Maryland in-
come. In addition to that, there is authori-
zation for the piggy-back tax of two and a
half percent making it seven and a half
per cent.
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