File No. 812.512/721.
Mr. D. C. Brown to
the Chief of the Division of Latin American
Affairs.
My dear Mr. Canova: As you possibly may not
have received it, I enclose translation of a Carranza decree of June 19
which I have just received.
[Page 925]
This decree, which was issued before the Department’s telegram of June 30
on this general subject was sent out, shows a slightly favorable
tendency. It, however, makes no change in the tremendously exorbitant
and arbitrary rate of taxation which General Carranza decreed on March
1st last and still proposes to enforce. What his present decree is
extending is not the payment of current taxes (as, for instance, those
of the present tercio, which must be paid this month) but only the tax
arrears for previous tercio which he has not yet been able to get hold
of.
Yours very truly,
[Inclosure 1—Translation.]
Carranza Decree of June 19, 1915, relating to
extension of time of payment of mining pertenencia
tax.
I, Venustiano Carranza, First Chief of the Constitutionalist Army, in
charge of the Executive Power, and Chief of the Revolution, by
virtue of the extraordinary authority conferred upon me, have seen
fit to decree the following:
Article 1. Extension is granted to October 31 next of the period
fixed by Transitory Article 2 of the decree of March 1 of the
present year.
V. Carranza.
Vera Cruz
, June 19, 1915.
[Inclosure 2—Translation.]
Carranza Decree of June 19, 1915, waiving payment
of taxes in districts controlled by the reactionary
element.
[The usual preamble, as above.]
Article 1. Taxes which those subject to the same have been obliged to
pay up to the date of reoccupation of each place or town by the
Constitutionalist forces, are hereby waived.
Article 2. Taxes which are found to be in arrears at the time of
occupation of these places by the Constitutionalist forces, will be
collected without any penalty for delinquency, provided the payment
is made within one month following the date of occupation. At the
expiration of this time the collection will be made, together with
the penalty.
Article 3. The Constitutionalist Government will not recognize in any
case the advances made to the usurping authorities for account of
taxes corresponding to a period subsequent to the occupation of the
places by the Constitutionalist forces, and therefore all taxes
corresponding to a period subsequent to the date of occupation of
such places will be collected, independently of the fact that they
may or may not have been paid to hostile authorities.
V. Carranza.
Vera Cruz
, June 19, 1915.
