Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-28
Blistering the Local Taxpayer.

clustering the LOCdl taxpayer.
The report presented to the Board of
Trade Thursday night states concisely
and effectively the objections to an ex-
tension of the personal tax to Intangible
property. This tax will not accomplish
its avowed purpose. If wealthy tax
dodgers rich in concealed intangible per
sonalty have come here to avoid taxa
ton. they will. when drastically taxed.
very promptly make another dodge and
dodge away. BY SO doing they will re-
move their tangible personally from the
Washington tax list; and the heavier tax
burden on all sorts of property. tangible
and intangible, visible and invisible will
rest on the shoulders of the taxpayers
rooted to the soil. especially the poorer
taxpayers, who cannot escape.
The comparisons of per capita tax
levy and per capita assessed valuation,
which show Washington high up in the
list of American cities in both respects,
are based on the aggregated taxes
upon realty and personally. The COM
parison is between the total tax bur
dens of the respective cities. and if
in comparison with some municipalities
q smaller percentage of the total tax is
IN Washingtons case imposed on per-
sonal property, a larger percentage in
the same proportion is in Washing
tons case imposed upon its real prop
erty, an adjustment of the total tax
burden in no respect easier to bear.
There is no necessity for and no fair
ness in the suggestion of an enlarge
ment of Washington's personal tax by
broadening of the scope of its appli-
cation to intangible property unless
there is to be corresponding reduc-
ton of the excessively high realty tax.
But everybody proposes to blister
the Washingtonian with his own in
dividual fancy in the way of drastic
new tax, and nobody advocates unless
perfunctorily and half-heartedIy the
Iessening of any tax. Everybody lashes
savagely, and nobody heals the wounds.
The single-taxers can have as high a
valuation as they please on Washing
ton land; but the valuation of realty
improvements must be boosted in the
same proportion. and an inqui sitorial
unequal and perjury-promoting form of
personal taxation must be adde3.
The single-taxers, realty improve
rnent takers and intangible personality
takers. as fastened together against
their will in the mutilated George tax
hill, constitute an unholy triple
alliance. threatening confiscation and
ruin to the nearly $4,000 small home
owners of the National Capital 1t
seems incredible that three such bitter
ly antagonistic allies can hold together
in a murderous campaign upon Wash
ington.
Usually Americans tax themselves for
specinc purposes, in the way most easily
borne by them. with an accurate adjust
ment of rate and assessment to raise
as nearly as possible the exact amount
required. Here the necessary tax total
under the law Is one-half of the amount
that Congress is willing to authorize to
be expended each year on the National
Capital Washington is accustomed to
raise this amount by a heavy realty tax.
under an assessment much higher than
that Of the average American city. and
by comparatively light personal tax.
This method of taxation imposes, as We
have seen. net burden of tax levy upon
the Washingtonian heavier than that inn
posed upon the vast majority of Ameri-
can cities containing over 10000 popula-
ton, and at least as heavy as that of the
average American city approXimating
Washington in population: and this tax
system raises the amount of revenue
local taxpayers under the act of 1878.
Why NEEDLE with this system to which
taxpayers have become accustomed and
which raises the needed revenue? Why
discuss an increase of the comparatively
light personal tax burden, for instance,
unless corresponding reduction is pro-
posed in the excessively high real es-
tate tax burden? Why suggest that the
personal tax assessment be extended TO
intangible personal property, il the local
taxpayers prefer that the revenues be
raised from realty and tangible personal
property taxes instead. on the theory
that these taxes are the fairest. the
most uniform the most easily and ac-
curately ascertained. and the most read
lily collected of any that could be i'm
posed? Why should not Congress, the
Constitutionally chosen local legislature
of Washington. act as faithful and SYM
pathetic representatives of these people,
whose interests are intrusted exclu sively
to their legislative protection, and devise
and put in operation preserve and
keep in operation means of raising the
needed local tax revenue which will
pinch the least which will be the most
popular or the least unpopular, and which
will create the minimum Of friction and
discomfort? Why. on the contrary. should
Congress be tempted to play the or entail
(not the Americana role of alien, despotic
taxgatherer. searching for in order to
apply to this defenseless community
every conceivable form of general or
special tax that has ever been devised
anywhere to extort money from helpless
taxpayers, whose taxation is without rep
resentaton?