Two alternative policies appear. The first is to make the scheme for taxing corporations quite different in principle and plan from that for taxing natural persons. The assumption in this is that the "general property tax" is an irremediable failure, and is particularly inapplicable to corporations. This plan goes along with the separation of state and local taxation.[12] An unfortunate result of this is to relieve the great mass of taxpayers of the state from, any apparent and measurable part of the tax burden for state purposes and thus to separate responsibility and power in state government. This policy nevertheless is favored by some of the leading authorities on finance.
The other policy is to tax the wealth and business of corporations (excepting those enjoying special privileges) in essentially the same way as other wealth and business. The improvement of corporate taxation would thus be but a part of the transformation of the "general property tax" into a general tax on tangible wealth.[13] If first there is recognized the error of assessing the equitable ownership interests in addition to the body of wealth, and secondly there is created an efficient agency of assessment, the taxation of corporations can be logically and easily brought into accord with a harmonious system of state and local taxation.[14]
§ 16. #General plan for corporate taxation.# The main features in such a plan of reform would be as follows:
(a) Assessment of all wealth by a state agency, with expert nonlocal assessors, appointed and serving only under the merit system.
(b) The assessment of the value of each enterprise and body of wealth as a unit for the whole state, and apportioned to the minor divisions as the basis for levying local taxes.
(c) Apportionment of the total value in the state among the localities by general rule, in the case of transportation and transmission companies, by mileage with due regard to the presence of local real estate and of special industrial equipment such as repair shops and power plants.
(d) Taxation of interstate enterprises only in due proportion to the whole business, by mileage or other rules; inter-state comity to be further developed in this matter.
(e) Account to be taken, in assessment, of various factors determining the earning power, such as good will, patents, and other monopolistic elements, pertaining to and helping to determine the value of the tangible plant of the enterprise.
(f) Account to be taken of the market value of securities and notes owned by a corporation, in determining the taxable value of the whole business, but these not to be treated as a separately assessable "property" (in addition to the tangible plant).
(g) Exemption of the holders of securities and evidences of indebtedness of corporations.{15}