The Washington times., 1902-06-08
Practically Agreed on by
Senate Appropriations
Committee.
LESS DRASTIC THAN OLD LAW
House Members Said to Have Given
Tacit Assent to Proposed Measure
Modification in Interests of Small
Property Holders.


has been practically agreed on by the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
The District Committee and the APP
propriations Committee have worked on
the plan for two or three months. and
many hearings have been given to citi-
zens of the District, in which large
number of the most prominent business
and financial interests. as we'll as she
representatives of several of the citi-
zens' associations have been given a
chance to advise with the committees.
It is said that more time has been
devoted to the personal tax question
than to any other local legislation of
the present session.
The result is a plan very much less
drastic than the old personal tax law
which tho House appropriations Com
nttee proposed to adopt, and also more
easy in many of its features than the
bill proposed by the District Commit
tee of the Senate.
One of the most prominent local bust
ness men after discussing the new plan
with members of the committee said
yesterday that he believed it will serve
the purpose of raising a legitimate rev
enue from personal property in the Dis
trict, and at the same time meet with
the approval OF the large body of the
taxpayers.
A Tacit Agreement.
The statement is made that the plan
adopted by the Senate committee has
been agreed TO tacitly by important
members of the House Appropriations
Committee also. 1t is believed, there
fore. that the plan will be Incorporated
in the District appropriation bill and
allowed to remain there. This will give
the District personal tax law on July /.
The plan adopted is in the form of a
modification of the Senate personal tax
bill Nearly all of the notifications have
been made in the interest of holders OF
small amounts of personal property, or
for the purpose of removing inquisitorial
features of the Senate bill.
There will be exempted from taxation
all household personally to the value Of
81, 600. The original exemption was $500
and The Senate committee raised this
amount to $500 The latter sum has
been doubled by the Senate Appropria-
tions Committee.
Exemption for Jewelry.
All jewelr, clothing ana articles of
adornment are exempted. In the Senate
bill jewelry was not eveqpted.
All local public utilities. including the
street railways, the telephone company,
the gas companies, and the electric light
companies, are to be taxed per cent on
their gross earnings, as the street rail-
ways are now. The telephone company
has been taxed practically nothing here
tofore, and the sane is true of the. cleo
trio light company. The gas companies
tax will be practically doubled
As to Financial Institutions.
The Appropriations Committee is still
somewhat in doubt as to the tax on
financial institutions. The presidents
and officers OF a number of the banks
and trust companies and their attor-
neys have made strong appeals for a
change from the plan proposed by the
Senate bill. aud it is hinted that some
change may be made in their favor also
The Senate bill proposed tax of ~
per cent on the capital. surplus. and un-
divided profits OF these in.titutions. The
attorneys who were heard the other
day by the Appropriations Committee
advocated instead of this tax tax of
per cent on gross earnings. half the
rate to be paid by the street railways
and other public corporations.
Significance of Exemptions.
It is estimated that the exemption of
personal property to the extent of 81, COG
and the exemption Of an iewelry, cloth
ing, etc, from taxation will free from
L, 900 to 10000 householders from all
personal tax. No man OF moderate
means will be taxed. The idea of this !
change Of plan was that 1t would remove |
one of the chief objections raised to |
the bill. ant that it would tend to equal |
ize the personal and realty taxes, it
being thought that in general the small /
er realty holdings are taxed relatively |
more than the large properties.
The Appropriations Committee be-
lieves that with these changes in the .
plan it will stlll yield between 5000 900 |
and 500 600 a year. 1t was estimated /
that the Senate bill would yield sl.OOO,-
coo year.