746 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 442

State, which shall be used for paying teachers' salaries and
purchasing text-books, materials of instruction and school
supplies; and finally the amount that will be needed to be
raised by local taxation. This annual school budget shall be
submitted in writing, not less than twenty days before the
usual date for levying county taxes, to the Board of County
Commissioners; at the same time a copy of this annual bud-
get shall also be submitted to the Board of County Commis-
sioners and to the State Superintendent of Schools. The
Board of County Commissioners are hereby authorized, em-
powered, directed and required to levy and collect such tax
upon the assessable- property of the county as will produce
the amount requested to be raised by local taxation in the
annual budget of the County Board of Education. The
amount requested in the annual budget of the County Board
of Education for current repairs, furniture in old buildings,
maintenance and support of the schools, for the succeeding
school year and to be raised by local taxation shall not here-
after in any year be less than a minimum tax, levied and
collected, of 34 cents on each one hundred dollars ($100) of
the assessable property in the county. Provided that if in
any county the tax levied and collected for the school year
ending July thirty-first, 1916, for current repairs, furniture
in old buildings, maintenance and support of the schools, was
less than 34 cents on each one hundred dollars ($100) of
assessable property in the county, such county shall only be
required to increase its total tax rate for the schools annually
by 2 cents on each one hundred dollars ($100) of the assess-
able property in the county, until the tax levied and col-
lected for current repairs, furniture in old buildings, main-
tenance and support of the schools in any one school year
shall equal a minimum tax levied and collected of 34 cents
on each one hundred dollars ($100) of the assessable prop-
erty of the county. Provided, further, that the total amount
requested for any one school year by the County Board of
Education for permanent improvements and repairs, current
repairs, furniture in old buildings, maintenance and support
of the schools shall not exceed a tax levied and collected of
40 cents on each one hundred dollars ($100) of the assess-
able property in the county, unless the Board of County
Commissioners shall approve and sanction such additional
tax. Provided, also, that if the total amount requested for