to be made and completed, by virtue of the said act of Congress, entitledAct of July 22, 1813, ch. 16.
Act of Aug. 2, 1813, ch. 37. “An act for the assessment and collection of direct taxes and internal duties,” and the said act of Congress, entitled “An act to lay and collect a direct tax within the United States,” in relation to the several states wherein the same has been assessed or is assessing, shall be and remain the valuations and assessments for the said states respectively, subject only to the revision, equalization, and apportionment, among the several counties and state districts, by the board of principal assessors hereinafter constituted, to be made as is hereinafter directed, for the purpose of levying and collecting annually the direct tax by this act laid, in the manner hereinafter provided, until provision shall be made by law for altering, modifying, or abolishing the same. And the principal assessors in the said several states wherein a direct tax has heretofore been assessed as aforesaid, shall, at the time and times herein and hereby prescribed for making the valuation and assessment in the states wherein a direct tax has not heretofore been assessed (in consequence of the legislative assumption of the quotas of the direct tax by such states respectively,) proceed to revise and shall revise, their several and respective valuations, assessments, and tax lists, correcting therein all errors, and supplying all omissions, which have been or shall be therein discovered and ascertained.Duties of principal assessors. And in making the said revisal as aforesaid, it shall be the duty of the said principal assessors, to inquire and ascertain what transfers and changes of property in lands, lots of ground, dwelling houses and slaves, have been made and effected since the time of the original valuation and assessment aforesaid; and also what changes of residents and non-residents have occurred; and also what slaves have been born, or have died, or have run away, or become otherwise useless; and also what houses or other improvements of real estate have been burned or otherwise destroyed; and thereupon to make such changes, additions, or reductions, in the said valuations and assessments respectively, as truth and justice shall require. And for the purpose of making the said revisal as aforesaid, of the said valuations, assessments, and tax lists, the principal assessors shall take and pursue all lawful measures, by the examination of records, by the information of the parties in writing, or by any other satisfactory evidence or proof. And in case of any alteration made upon such revisal affecting the property or interests of any person, so as to charge such person with any greater amount of tax, or to transfer the charge of the tax from one person to another person, there shall be the like proceedings as is herein provided in the case of appeals upon an original assessment. And the principal assessors, after hearing such appeals, shall proceed to make out and to deliver revised lists of their valuations and assessments, respectively, to the board of principal assessors, to be constituted as is hereinafter mentioned. And thereupon, the said board of principal assessors shall proceed in the like manner as is hereinafter provided in the case of an original assessment, submitted to the said board of principal assessors, for the purpose of an equalization and apportionment of the direct tax by this act laid to and among the counties and the district of the states respectively.
Lists to be made out by the officer where the owner of property shall neglect to furnish, &c.Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That if any person owning, possessing, or having the care of management of, property liable to a direct tax as aforesaid, shall not be prepared to exhibit a written list when required as aforesaid, shall not be prepared to exhibit a written list when required as aforesaid, and shall consent to disclose the particulars of any and all the lands and lots of ground with their improvements, dwelling houses and slaves, taxable as aforesaid, then and in that case it shall be the duty of the officer to make such list, which being distinctly read and consented to, shall be received as the list of such person.
Penalties for furnishing fraudulent listsSec. 8. And be it further enacted, That if any such person shall deliver or disclose to any assessor appointed in pursuance of this act, and requiring a list or lists, as aforesaid, any false or fraudulent list, with intent to defeat or evade the valuation or enumeration hereby intended to be
