1784                                      VETOES

area will not be able to use promotional games whereas their com-
petitors in the District of Columbia and Virginia will. The same is
true of Maryland retailers in some parts of the Eastern Shore who
compete with Delaware retailers. Maryland merchants in some other
areas of the State may be similarly affected. This problem leads
to the conclusion that Federal regulation of retail promotional games
would be preferable to State abolition of the games. My office has
been informed that the Federal Trade Commission is considering
regulating these games in order to stop abuses associated with them,
and that the issuance of Federal regulations in the near future is
likely. Consequently, the General Assembly at its next session will
be able to re-examine the matter of retail promotional games in light
of the Federal regulations.

For all of the above reasons, I have concluded that the best
course of action at this time is to veto Senate Bill 332.

Sincerely,
/s/ Marvin Mandel,

Governor.

Senate Bill No. 429—Montgomery County Farm Lands

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 2-127
(a) of the Montgomery County Code (1965 Edition), title "Mont-
gomery County," subtitle "Administration," subheading "Division
4. Taxation Generally," as last amended by Chapter 633 of the Acts
of 1968, to DELETE THE SECTION EMPOWERING AND AU-
THORIZING THE delete the section empowering and authorizing
the CHANGE THE POWER OF THE County Council for Mont-
gomery County to levy and impose a tax on the transfer in Mont-
gomery County of any fee simple interest in real property which,
during the five years preceding, was assessed on the basis of being
devoted to farm or agricultural use . , SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS,
AND TO CHANGE THE SUBDIVISION OF THIS SECTION.

May 28, 1969.

Honorable William S. James
President of the Senate
State House
Annapolis, Maryland

Dear Mr. President:

In accordance with Article II, Section 17, of the Maryland Con-
stitution, I have today vetoed Senate Bill 429 and am returning it
to you.

This bill would remove the existing power from the Montgomery
County Council to impose a transfer tax on the sale of land which
has been under an agricultural use tax schedule within five years
prior to the sale. The maximum amount of the tax is six percent
of the sale price of the realty. This bill does not affect the farmland
assessment law as such; land which enjoys a reduced tax rate be-
cause it is devoted to the actual farm or agricultural use will con-
tinue to be taxed on that basis.