Evening star., 1915-01-10
Washington's Tax System.

Washington's Tax System.
In the Senate debate on the District
appropriation bill an amendment Is
proposed to provide for taxation here
OF Intangible personal property, and
other forms Of taxation prevailing
somewhere In the United States have
been suggested In the House for i'm
mediate application to the unrepre-
sented and helpless local taxpayers.
Usually Americans tax themselves for
specific purposes. In the way most easily
borne by them. with an accurate adjust
ment Of rate and assessment to raise
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 a comparatively light personal tax.
This method of taxation imposes, as we
have seen, net burden of tax levy upon
the Washingtonian heavier than that i'm
posed upon the vast majority of Ameri-
can cities containing over 10000 popula-
tion. 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
which is and will be required from the
local taxpayers under the organic act
Why meddle with this system to
which taxpayers have become accus-
toned and which raises the needed rev.
enue? Why discuss an increase of the
comparatively light personal tax bur-
den, for instance. unless a correspond
Ing reduction Is proposed in the ex-
cessively high real estate tax burden?
Why suggest that the personal tax as
sessment be extended to intangible per-
sonal property If 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
readily collected of any that could be
Imposed? Why should not Congress,
the constitutionally chosen local legis-
lature of Washington. act as faithful
and sympathetic representatives Of
these people. whose. interests are in
trusted exclusively to their legislative
protection. and devise and put in op-
GRAFTON or preserve and keep in op-
GRAFTON 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,
hn for fal 20 al
the oriental (not the American) role of
alien. despotic taxgatherer. searching
for in order to apply to this defense
less community every conceivable form
Of general or special tax that has ever
been devised anywhere to extort money
from helpless taxpayers, whose taxa
tion is without representation?
Will Congress decide that 1t is Its
function. unnecessarily. SO far as the
raising of revenues for legitimate pub
lie purposes Is concerned, to see that
the Washingtonian is blistered with
every form of tax exaction from which
any unfortunate taxpayer suffers in all
the world? Because this or that mu-
ntcipal taxpayer here or In Europe,
under his own peculiar local conditions
Involving. perhaps. extravaganza, cor
J,
a poll tax, a road tax. an inheritance
tax, an income tax or a tax on every
thing he produces and on everything
he consumes. on every cent he takes
IN and every cent he pays out-must
an these taxes be levied upon and
collected from the Washington tax
payer under entirely different condi-
tions and with no compelling necessity
In evidence?
1t has been suggested that all possi-
BILE taxes should be imposed by repre-
sentatives of the states upon residents
In the District In order to prevent any
one from coming to live In the District
TO escape some especially objection
able form OF taxation In any Of the
states. The contention Is that Con-
gress. acting as the local legislature
representing in theory the Washing
tonians In deciding for themselves on
American principles their own forms
Of taxation. should disregard the wishes
and welfare Of its Washington con-
stituents and a. a local legislature
should decide questions affecting these
constituents solely from the selfish
viewpoint of other constituents in the
homo districts in the states.
IL Ill COuBIo6ohou performed SAelf
constitutional duties as exclusive local
legislators for Washington. on the sug-
gested low plane. ignoring or repudi-
ating any obligation to consider the
interests If the local community con-
fded to their protection and manage
ment as trustees, and basing every vote
in respect to local concerns solely on
the supposed selfish or ignorant wishes
of their homo constituents. a thousand
or two thousand or three thousand
miles away. the logical effect Of this
combined cooperative hostility would
evidently be to depopulate tho District
of permanent residents by depriving 1,
of every attraction to tempt tho resi-.
dent of state and by imposing upon
it such unbearable restrictions az
would tend to render Il uninhabitable
The old theory that dollar wheat
meant prosperity is now ono of the
curtoSities of financial literatura