Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-01-03
Taxation in the District.
THE PERSONAL AND LICENSE = TtXES-WuAT BCSISES
MEN ,RoTT THEM

MEN SAY BOUT THEM
Nr 3. II. Warner. the real estate dealer, said to
STAR reporter to-day:
81 au wiling 70 pay q tax on nv profits II every
other business Iian IS compelled 10 co the same
thing. Real estate men do more to build Up the
city th1n any other Glass; their prosperity depends
lis advarCa 1t is not fair TO tax them On their
income and leave off other Glasses whose o2cupa-
tloh, demand police surveillance. Ii Congress vii
remove our personal tax ana TX VI The flts VIII
gladly pay dutE On my income
The present proposition. continued tfr. Warner.
5 Ior ine real estate men to pa: license tax and
not compel them 10 make semi annual returns dis
covering how lnucn they baTe made by way OF com
missions. and being taxed thereon for municipal
purposes. favor this. oi coursa.'
NR. FRANCIS E. MCgUN's VIEWS.
''The present personal tax in uljls: ,i.l inal.s-
torial, remarked VI. Francis B. Moiun the secre-
tary OF thc Re - Fire Insurance company. this
mornng to STAR reporter The Commissioners
III lerstanc the CIRCUMSTANCES and Wi. do all Ia
,ile. c u 10 nave the law rem"Jiiet The paSSarG
OF personal tax law by Congress for this DiStri.!
was due Nr. Dertt5on Wien lle was Coi:l.lis-
sio1er, and he thought tntt Drctl,e it worked wei
in ONO !; WouIi do the same here, Bar. Com
us. wlel We had our Interview with him. that n3t
one-fourth o. those liable to The personal tax paid
II. rhis was due To the Difficulty experienced i'll
enfort!n. it,
'Now, to give you an instance Of this" remarked
Mr.. Moa',l. y know a member OF Con grs.sS who
spent .l5hG ana under the usual rule ne world
have returned It's value as &oolt IS iG1 Bat he r.
fuse; % make any Tetu'n 4, al. .ic said he vas
ctilel o. i state and i,2ll his personal tax Glera
Then they ASKED 10 see his tax receipts. He re-
pied tnat 5he night go 10 The warm place. They
had no right 70 iHiuire as TO whether one Oh the
states had enforce; tnc aws ag1inst It's citi-
zeDs. The District autho.ties were unable 10 col
let this tax, ana the history OF the en-
su:n ia,tancesH 'Ba5 while continued
slr Moaun. ':iu;.Ividu.ts can void tl.is tax
Corporations clunct. For i'll stance, tlle 1c and
property o. an Insurance canpan; Is known Ia
tle conference VITA the commissioners OF o.
the representatives, OF Insurance companies it
shown t,.tt 81 tne ss 900 revenue derived from
the TAX on the companie. <2I eco Was DaiI by the
twelve local COMPANIES. ]e1ving 5000 which IS
paid by the Ia ilrelgn companies On tlla Other
nllid Il SHOWN tilAt the fo-tf-r companies ii
thre2-LfFs oi tAe premiums and the home rofnpa-
nies ,"o -iiitns. ile tax WAS regarded is un-luu
aIl l5 vas agreed by representatives nj the ion1:
ana foreign co.np,nies that The following rate
would b. eluif&o!e: lie home comp11it, 10 pay
s5co h:rnsc ,aN. and each foreie5n ccnlp.ny 5
agency to pay $50: ii! companies TO paT one ana
oneha,t per cent On the gross amount OF premiums
received
, olhis arrangenlont.n concluded Mr. Moh,ln. s.ril
eluaGZe the burden o. taxation. and instead. as
noT OF paying 81, 80 per year, whether We do 2ny
business or not, We Nil pay $3.50 and percentage
CA Our receipts"
&R. LEWIS J. DAVIS
said that he and all the blnkeTS in the city agreed
With the views OF the District Commissioners. as
they understood then upon the question OF abo,-
| iShing the personal tax.
| MR.. E. F. RIGGS
said that was certainly TO interest OF the Dis
| trict to have the personal tax system abolished.
AS it is now, he said, large percentage OF the tax
was not and could not be collected. Only those
| who are conscientious m ,de proper returns, and
the tax falls heaviest upon those OF comparatively
small possessions By the license OF direct tax
system the collection of the tax was uniform
and certain. being oppressive to no one. To dc
away with the personal tax. he thought. would
and build, thus increasing the real tax to an
amount far beyond what would be lost
by the abolition Of the personal tax. He
license for liquor dealers would meet with favor
and he believed it was just and proper that those
the nature of whose business rendered more neceS-
sary the services OF the police and fire department.
| should bear the burden Of the tax. This applied
he said, correspondingly to the bankers and mer-
! chants as well as to the 'irnOr dealers.