THEODORE R. MCKELDIN, GOVERNOR                     251

(b)  Provided, however, that for municipal taxation in the City of
Frederick such stock in business shall be assessed at seventy-five per
centum (75%) of such fair average value for the twelve months pre-
ceding the date of finality.

(c)  For county taxation in Washington County the amount of fif-
teen hundred dollars ($1,500.00) in value of the stock in trade, or
one-quarter of the value of all the stock in trade, whichever is the
greater figure, shall be entirely exempt from assessment and taxa-
tion; and the remainder, if any, then shall be assessed and taxed at
seventy-five per centum (75%) of such fair average value for the
twelve months preceding the date of finality.

(d)  For the purpose of county taxation in Allegany, Anne Arun-
del, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Garrett,
Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen
Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties and the
City of Annapolis, such stock in business shall be assessed at sixty
per centum (60%) of such fair average value for the twelve months
preceding the date of finality.

(e)   Provided further, however, that any person, firm or cor-
poration who shall take advantage of the provisions of this section
shall not be allowed the exemption in the percentage of the total
assessed valuation which is provided by Section 8, subsection (24)
of this article.

22 23. For the purpose of the assessment and collection [or] of
ordinary taxes on distilled spirits, it is hereby made the duty of each
distiller, and of every owner or proprietor of a bonded or other ware-
house, in which distilled spirits are stored and of every person or cor-
poration having custody of such spirits to make report to the State
Tax Commission on or before the fifteenth day of March in each and
every year of all the distilled spirits on hand as of the first day of
January preceding, and the tax for the ensuing year from the said
first day of January shall be levied and paid on the amount of dis-
tilled spirits so in hand as representing the taxable distilled spirits
for such year [;], and said spirits shall be valued and assessed at fair
value. The term fair value as used in this section shall mean cost or
market value, whichever is lower, without any allowance for inflation.
Provided, however, that the same distilled spirits shall not be taxed
twice for the same year.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That no person, firm or cor-
poration shall be subject to criminal prosecution or criminal penal-
ties because of any violation of the provisions of these sections which
occurred prior to the passage of this Act.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That if any one or more sec-
tions, clauses, sentences, words or parts of this Act shall for any rea-
son be questioned in any court, and shall be adjudged unconstitu-
tional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate
the remaining provisions hereof but shall be confined in its operation
to the specific provisions so held unconstitutional or invalid, and the
inapplicability or invalidity of any section, clause or provision of
this Act in any one or more instances shall not be taken to affect or
prejudice in any way its applicability or validity in any other in-
stance.