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its money at certain designated times and is thereby enabled to meet
its own obligations at regular intervals.

If this plan for the collection of and accounting for the State
taxes could be provided in Maryland by act of Legislature, the Com-
mission would recommend its adoption, but under the provisions of
the Constitution the system is not permissible.

It is recommended that an amendment to the Constitution be
presented conferring the power and authority to regulate the collec-
tion and payment of State taxes as above indicated, and in the
meantime the Commission will ask for the passage of a law which
will in a large measure enable the State to receive its annual revenue
from the counties and Baltimore City with more certainty and
regularity.

DISCOUNT

Article 81, Section 48, provides for discount for prompt pay-
ment, and is as follows:

"All persons and incorporated institutions that shall
pay their State taxes on or before the first day of Septem-
ber of the year for which they were levied shall be entitled
to a deduction of five per centum on the amount of said
taxes; all that shall pay the same on or before the first day
of October of the said year shall be entitled to a deduction
of four per centum, and all that shall pay the same on or
before the first day of November of the said year shall be
entitled to a deduction of three per centum; and at the time
of receiving said taxes the proper officers shall make the
deductions aforesaid and note the same upon the receipts
given to the persons or incorporated institutions so paying,
but nothing contained in this section shall extend to the
taxes payable on the public debt of Maryland or the stock
loans of the city of Baltimore."

To ascertain the discount lost to the State in any one year is
difficult, but from the information in the possession of the Commis-
sion we venture the opinion that during the last fiscal year the State
lost at least $100,000, or an amount equal to one cent upon the tax