Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-26
GEORGE TAX BILL
WILL Be ALTERED
Movement in House District
Committee to Assess In
tangible Property.
AUTHOR OF THE MEASURE
MAKES STRONG PROTEST
Provisions Intended to Govern Real
Estate Alone. Framed After
Careful Investigation.


of lively session of the House District
committee today twelve members favored
/ including personal property within the
terms of the George bill to assess real
estate at its true value. and four men,
hers voted against it. The matter will
be decided possibly Saturday morning
when the committee meets again.
| This is the beginning of an attempt by
the District committee to tax intangible
property. stocks. bonds, moneys. cash.
credits and the like at the same rate as
real estate s taxed. 1t is quite likely
hat the committee will report just such
bill to the House. The bill, when final
~ reported will be as far away as posi-
! BILE from Representative Georges orig
inal idea when he began to make his
searching inquiry into assessment and
taxation systems. He served notice to-
day upon the committee that the moment
his pet measure is made to include per
sonal property he will lose all interest.
Purpose of George Bill.
The George bill with which every real
estate man and many property owners
now are familiar. is the result of the
long investigation into realty values here
and its fundamental proposition is that
real estate shall be taxed annually at it's
true value, and that the District Com
missioners shall levy the tax at such
a rate as will meet the requirements of
the Districts budget. IT also sets up
better machinery for assessing values
than that in existence at present. as 1t
; increases the force of assessors.
Primed for a fight on the proposition to
fix rate of S1,50 hundred on the true
value of real estate. the committee
stepped aside from that proposed feature
to discuss the proposal by Chairman
real. personal. tangible and intangible
in the bill. This proposed amendment
would make the opening and vital sec
tons of the bill lead as follows:
That all real estate i'll the District of
Columbia subject to taxation shall here
after be assessed annually at its true
value.
Provision for Taxation.
THAT for the purpose of establishing
uniform rate of taxation in the Dis
trict of Columbia there is hereby
levied upon the aforesaid real estate
an annual tax equal in rate to the tax
rate which is now or may hereafter be
imposed By law upon tangible assessabie
personal property in the District of
Columbia: and. further. the same rate
of taxation is hereby levied upon all
intangible property in the District of
Columbia which would be taxable under
existing law were it tangible personal
property. including moneys, credits.
stocks. bonds. annuities, cash and all
other forms of indebtedness owned by
or payable to the person. firm or corpo-
ration TO be taxed. and also including z
jewels, jewelry and similar articles
personal aGornment
Nothing herein shall be so construed
as to make taxable bonds of the United
Safa Of (@oI,,
Neither shall shares of the capital stock
in any corporation which pays tax to
the District of Columbia upon the prop
erty represented by its capital stock be
additionally taxed hereby"
Representative Prouty added to this
, "and any person. firm or corporation shall
be allowed to deduct from the amount
of their moneys or credits any bona fide
debts given for actual value
Representative O'Leary of Ne York
also offered an amendment 10 the George
bill, providing that the Commissioners
of the District of Columbia shall here
after levy upon the full assessed value Of
all real estate and upon the full value of
gible. a uniform tax" The tax would
be sufficient to pay the Districts share
| in the expenses Of the District.
Objects to Scheme.
| Representative George made a point
! OF order against any Introduction of
| personal property taxation matters into
| his bill. saying that it is not fair or right
! to launch out suddenly on legislation IN
which there has not been the slightest
previous study.
The personal property law may be
| full of inequalities and perhaps should
| be changed. but the change should not
| be tackled on this bill, which is the re-
| suit Of a long and deep study. This bill
\ ,lrtSst troty H<,r
The George bill discrtminates against
| real estate" said Representative Prouty.
| Under the terms of the bill the Com
missioners would assess real estate one
way and personal property another way.
\ AS long as the federal government is re-
| sponsible for money spent here, the fed
i eral government should fix the taxes and
| the tax rate. Congress should not let
| this power get away from it,
| The tax rate on all property was the
| same before 1902 interposed Represent
ative Johnson.
| Increase in Income
/, Representative Crosser. who with Rep
resentatives George. Igoe and WaIlin,
| will oppose the injection of personal
property into the bill. said that the
| Prouty idea would add $1,2O0,O 900 to the
4 Districts income which would have to
\ be matched by another similar sum from
I
| the Treasury.
| II am against the entire personal
! property scheme. and this proposition be-
| fore us now is nothing but a scheme to
i get rid of the half and half plan"
! Il will fight for a fair and just assess
| ment in the District of Columbia" con-
tinued Representative Prouty, 80 that
it will compare equitably with the taxes
! elsewhere. but the first thing to do is to
ascertain what the property here will
| stand in taxes and what it will yield ;
! he reiterated his theory that Washing
| ton is taxed at lower figures than any
| other city.
/ Wants Rich to Pay Taxes.
1 II am going to the ditch on the PROPOSE
ton that the wealthy shall not be al
lowed to escape taxes here" said Chair
| man johnson.
| In final plea to the committee, Repre-
| sentative George told the members pres
ent that he had been working for two
wears on the supposition that the COM
| proposition alone, and that he could not
| see his work undone without protest.
| The committee adjourned at noon with
| out settling the issue. although the in
+, formal vote showed that the committee
| is in favor of making uniform rate for
| personal and real property. The ques-
ton of whether intangible property shall
be taxed has not been voted on.