The Washington herald., 1912-01-14
GEORGE HAS READY
TAX REFORM BILL
Single Tax Advocate Will
Attempt CodificatiOn of
Districts Laws.
ASKS ANNUAL LEVIES
New York Member Also Will Try to
Get Graduating Scale for Real
Estate Assessments.

Repeating all previous laws of assess
ment and taxation as applied to real es-
tate in the District, and far broader in
its scope than was at first anticipated,
bin embodying mis- ideas Of needed assess
ment and taxation forms in the District
will be introduced in the House by Rep
resentative Henry George, jr, Of New
York, Wednesday or Thursday.
The George bill. upon which the single
tax advocate has been at work for
months, will effect complete codification
OF the real estate assessment and taxa
ton laws Of the District; will call for
annual instead Of triennial assessments,
a graduating increase of assessments on
unimproved property in the District, and
a corresponding decrease in assessments
on improvements, and many other fea-
lures OF progressive nature.
Mr.. George refused yesterday to dis
cUss his bill in detail. He admitted that
II would be broader in scope than was at
first anticipated, and that II would con-
tain the features enumerated above. Con-
trary to expectation, the bill will not
specifically call for a different personnel
for the excise and assessment boards.
1t is believed this will be brought about
through new provisions in the bill, how
ever.
VIII Repeal Laws.
''T cannot discuss the bill in detail"
said Mr.. George, ''as there are sone fea-
lures I have not definitely worked out
in my own mind. The bill will be ready
for introduction in the next fortnight 1t
will call for the repeal of the existing
laws of assessment and taxation as ap-
piled to real estate in the District, and
will itself stand as the Districts code
for such taxation.
I have been working, on the bill for
some time. In seeking a working basis
for reforms l hope to institute in the
Districts system of taxation and assess
ment, found no comprehensive act
upon which to work. The existing law
il made up of acts and parts Of acts
running back to at least thirty-five
years. There was no adequate compila-
ton Of these acts. In response TO my
request for this Information, Commits
sIoner Rudolph requested Assessor Rich
ards to make such a compilation, which
he did. He also added an index.
Even with this, however, found the
laws OF the District iu regard to the
taxation and assessment Of real estate
difficult TO understand, because IL was
necessary to jump backward and for
ward through the statutes. For this rea-
son it appeared that a codihcatiOn of
what might be called the live laws
should De made and Should be embraced
in an act introducing such improvements
as seemed to me to be required here in
the District.
Substitute for Other Acts.
What I am working on, therefore, is
not only an act requiring annual instead
Of triennial assessments and other i'm
portant features, but codification of all
existing laws that viii not be changed
by these features. In other words. I
hope to make this act a substitute for
all other acts on this subject.
In preparing the coditication, 1 have
Of course, used all the material / could
from the other statutes. the only changes
in the wording being changes which
think will work Improvement in the ac-
ton OF the laws.
Whenever the bill is introduced in
the House, it will not be reported out
for final action before ample opportunity
shall have been offered for hearings. l
want all who are interested in this ques-
ton to come before the committee and
give it the benefit of their views.
have found that there is a great deal
Of interest in the House on the question
Of District assessments. A number OF
members on both sides of the chamber
have asked me when my bill will be
ready and have expressed a desire to en-
ter the discussion on it But 1 want
the people of the District, who will be
affected by it, to let me know how II
strikes them. II there are faults IN the
bill, I want TO know IL If the language
can be improved on, 1 want to know it,