Evening star., 1914-12-13
QUEER
TAXATION FIGURES
Easy Disproof of His State
ment That District Is
Undertaxed.
LOCAL TAXES ARE HIGHER
THAN AVERAGE ELSEWHERE
Reiteration in Congress OF Exploded
Claim That Washington Pays Only
Ten Mills on the Dollar.

iuS Tic uCDdlC O1l liiC OlStIlCC dp-
preparation bill in the House
Thursday, said:
"Whnt are the simple factsf They are
that they (the people of the District
OF Columbia) now pay ten mills ON the
dollar ON actual value of real estate.
Under the organic act, about which
they have said much, 1t was provid-
ed 1t should be fifteen mills, but now
they pay ten mills. =
81 undertake to sny, after having
spent three years investigating that
question. there Is not a city in the
United States Of any size that does not
pay a good deal more than that. 1 have
complied. ms you nll know, the taxes
of all cities of any size in the United
States. based upon actual value, not
upon assessed value, and the law pro-
vides upon actual value, and the aver
age in the United States is little over
nineteen mills. =
.'There is no dispute about the pr0po.
sition that property In the city OF
Washington Instead of being assessed
at twO-thirds, is only assessed one
third.
These statements are in their
essence a repetition of similar
ones made by Representative
Prouty and others in the course
of the debates in the House last
session when the half-and-half
principle was under assault and
efforts were made by direct and
indirect means to abrogate it in
favor of sliding scale of federal
participation in the Districts
maintenance. The Star has re-
peatedly refuted the assertions
that the District is an underas-
sessed and undertaxed communi-
ty, citing statistics freely to show
that it is on the contrary one Of
the most highly assessed md
heavily taxed cities in the United
States. It is important again to
show the falsity of the charge that
the District is undertaxed, for
upon this declaration is based the
present attempt to force the Dis
trict to pay practically all of its
own cost of maintenance while re-
ducing the federal contribution to
the difference between the Dis
trict revenues and the appropria-
tions.
Representative Prouty's asser-
ton that the average of munich
|pality taxation in the United
States is nineteen mills on the
dollar, while the Districts taxa
ton is but ten mills, was made
the subject of an article in The
Star last spring when this subject
was before the House. Its repro
duction now in part will effective
ly prove the absurdity of the
claim of local undertaxation.
Mr.. Prouty, cooperating with Mr..
Johnson, has converted the George tax
alton bill into a direct and deadly at
tack upon Washington. In his speech
to their logical extreme. He holds
that Washington is at once the light
est taxed and the richest among Amer
lean cities. that 1t can raise $4,000, 900
in taxes annually with ease. that it
can meet alone all the cost of ade-
quate capital maintenance and up
building and that the national contri-
button to capital development should
cease and the half-and-half plan be
abolished
We contend. on the other hand, that
Washington's tax burden is heavier
than that of three-fourths of the Amer
lean cities, and. owing to the capitals
peculiar disabilities, it is heavier than
In any other American city.
We say that in proportion to popula-
tion Washington has the absolute min
imum of taxable resources.
We say that if Washington is taxed
as other cities are taxed a maximum o.
six or seven millions would be derived.
and that, owing to its peculiar condi-
tions which require extraordinary eX-
penditures. and which deprive it of the
heavier pressure from these six or
seven millions of burden than any
other city in the United States approx
imating 1t in size.
The facts are at hand and easily avail
able. The way to the truth is plain
Juggling With the Tax Rate.
The two factors in measuring tax
burdens are the rate and the assess
ment. In combination they give The
| total tax levy or actual total burden,
and when divided by population the
per capita tax burden is ascertained.
| Mr. Prouty juggles both tax rate and
assessment. or, rather, he accepts en-
| Enthusiastically II. J. Brownies juggling
with the assessment figures. and Jug
giles the tax rate on his own account.
His table of comparisons of tax rates
by which he attempts to show that
Washington's tax burden Is about one
| half that of the average American city,
| or as 10 to 10, is concocted in fashion
which instantly and completely dis
credits it.
In addition to the actual figures of
tax rate, assessment and tax levy, the
census collected the opinions, esti-
mates, guesses of municipal officials
as to the true value of property, and
then figured out what the tax rate
would be on the full value of property,
IL these estimates. opinions or guesses
were correct. But the census authori-
~,