Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-28
House District Committeeman
Approve Blow at 10000
Families Here.
OPPOSES RATE FIXING
BY COMMISSIONERS
Some Members Fight Scheme, Called
Clumsy Attempt to Drop Half
and-Half Principle.

! The District committee of the House
. will vote to double the taxes of the
J home owners of the District of Co
| lumbia.
| The 10000 small homecoming fami
lies of this city were dealt this blow
' today when the committee found out
that it's sentiment is in favor of with
holding the power of rate fixing from
the Commissioners and keeping it in
the hands Of Congress. The committee
also turned down Representative
! Georges suggestion that saner.
more scientific method would be to
provide for flexible rate of taxation,
| based on the needs of the city. When
the committee had argued the matter
| to test the committee.
! The first motion was that of Repre-
| sentative Prouty:
| That it is the sense of the commit
tee that all property. real and personal,
| tangible and intangible, be taxed at the
! same rate at its full value
Vote of Committee.
| Representatives George, Reed topposed
to taxing intangible property, Crosser
| and Coady.
| For it we're Representatives ISoe. Car
away, Claypool. Prouty MapeS. Cary and
johnson. Absent were Representatives
Aiken. German, OLeary, LEnSle
Thompson, Wallin, Winslow, Keister and
Walters.
On the motion by Representative Isoe
Commissioners the power to fix tax rate
in accordance with the needs of the Dis
trict. and in the proper proportion based
on the present law. the following mem
George. Igoe, Crosser and Coady.
The following voted nay: Representa-
tives Caraway. Reed. Claypool, Cary,
Prouty, Mapes and johnson.
On the motion by Representative Prouty
that the committee is in favor of leaving
the power to fix the tax rate in Congress.
The same vote reversed was taken. This
is the test that shows the committee will
make every owner of every little home in
the District pay exactly twice as much
tax as he has done heretofore.
Purpose of the Plan.
AS Representative George has expressed
It on more than one occasion, it is a
clumsy method of getting rid of the half
and-half plan. BY this means the COM
mittee seeks to prove that by doubling
the taxes OH the property in the District
the United States government need pay no
part of the expenses of the District, in
which it is partner.
The District committee of the House
is thus solidly aligned the principles
expressed in three motions, but at pres
ent is hopelessly split on many of the
de .ails of the variegated theories of taxa
ton. Representative George, who gave
two years to the study and preparation
OF a bill covering new system of real
estate taxation-a system appio owed of by
the Commissioners going to see his bill
turned into an instrument for contiscat-
ing the Districts rights in the federal
partnership.
Calls Attention to Report.
In the discussion of his theory that
there should be no fixed tax rate in the
District and that the Commissioners
should be allowed the power to make the
rate each year in accordance with the
needs of the community, he called atten-
ton to the fact that the report made
up by the special committee. after in
vest: eating real estate conditions ard as
sessment propositions here contains these
words:
AT one time Il fixed rate may raise
too much revenue. at another too little.
The only bus.ness-like and just way is
to let the rate be determined by the needs
of the budget, as is done in other large
Cities
This appears on page thirteen of the
report, which is No. 1215. of the Sixty
second Congress, second session. The
first name to be Signed to this report
| containing that statement is that OF
| Ben Johnson.
| He was surprised when Represent
a.ive George read that to him today,
II did not have my attention called
| to it," he said Il could not indorse
| that now
Many Taxation Theories.
| Nearly every variety of tax theory
J that could be crowded into two hours
| conversation was to be found in the
District committee meeting. Represent
ative George opened the discussion by
asking Representative Prouty If he had
| seen recent tax figures by Assistant
| Assessor Oyster.
rs that the assessor who spends
| most of his time going around telling
folks they are taxed too high here!
asked Representative Caraway.
Representative Prouty announced that
| he is in favor of an absolute rate of
| $50 500, real value. real and per-
| sonal property.
| And as long as the government puts
| up a part of the contribution, then 1
am unalterably opposed to taking the
power of fixing the tax rate from Con-
gress."
| Have you estimated the tax that will
thus be raised?" Representative George
| asked him.
about twelve and half millions I
| think"
That's too much" Representative
that"
Surplus for q. s. Treasury.
"Oh, well. the surplus of the District S
revenues thus raised can be turned over
to the United States Treasury to pay a
part of the debts which the people here
owe to the United States already
| But that's a clumsy way of doing
! business" persisted Mr.. George; 'if you
want to repeal the half-and-half plan, all
| right Take 1t to the floor of the House
and fight it out. But don't attempt to
| saddle anything like that on bill that
we have worked on hard for two years"
| Representative Prouty replied to Mr..
George:
'One of the chief troubles with your bill,
Mr.. George, which provides for a taxation
system for real estate only, Is that the
bill allows the Commissioners to keep
down the tax rate to so low a rate that
the United States is forced to contribute
| something.
| Opposes Fixed Rates.
Representative Igoe begged the COM
'mittee not to mix up a confscatory