Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-20

10 II 12
Municipal Ia. Levies and Receipts, E1pendl
such cities as Cleveland, Indianapolis,
Atlanta. Birmingham. Wilmington.
Wheeling, Philadelphia and Newark, and
is within a few cents of this combination
burden in such cities as Baltimore and
New Orleans.
When interest payments are eliminated.
Washington's tax-burden (even under the
unfair standard of measurement employed
against it) is greater than that OF any
of the group of nine neighboring cities'
Of all but one of the twelve southern
cities, and of all but four of the thirteen
northern central cities. Its burden. thus
measured, is greater than that OF sucn
cities as Philadelphia. Cleveland. Balti-
more, Cincinnati. Newark. New orleans
jersey City. Indianapolis and st. Paul .,
8. The grossest unfairness to WASH
ington in the comparison Of Washing
toms city taxes with the total OF city,
county and state taxes in other cities
is in the inclusion of the general gov
eminent" item of state and county taxes
in the tax-burden which Washington Is
to duplicate. Washington enjoys none
of the privileges or benefits of state
or of state government or It's own.
When Washington is part OF a state
of its due share of the state fund to
which thousa nds of state citizens out
side of its limits contribute. 1t will be
equitable to permit full state taxation
to enter into it's comparative per capt.
ia tax figures. When Washington has
senator's. representatives and state
legislature and government, 1t will be
equitable for 1t to pay for the con
tinued enjoyment Of such 1uxuries in
the shape of a state tax for general
government" But it is obviously and
grossly ineauitable. for the purpose OF
this comparison. to include the amounts
which the taxpayers of other cities pay
as state taxes specifically for valuable
benefits and precious privileges which
are absolutely denied the Washingto-
MAN.
Taxes Heavy as Others.
Subtracting the item of general gov
eminent" per capita state expenditures
from the totals of city. county. and
state taxes, Washington's city tax
alone averages creditably in compari-
son with the per capita of total taxes
of city, county and state in, other cities.
When the per capita interest pay
ments are subtracted from the figures
for all the cities to ascertain the needs
ington's tax-burden is distinctly as
heavy as those of the cities with which
it is most appropriately compared.
For example, subtracting from the
state taxes only the state expenditure
item of general government" and
emitting the interest payment item
from the figures for all the cities. in
Guiding Washington. Washington S
comparative .tax-burden. thus meas
ured. is greater than that of such cities
as Philadelphia. Cleveland. Baltimore,
Cincinnati, Newark. New Orleans, Jer-
sey City. Indianapolis, Providence.
Denver and St Paul, and is only a
st. Louis. Milwaukee, Minneapolis and
Seattle.
Should Be Among Lowest.
9. Washington's equitable tax
burden should be among the lowest per
capita in the country. 1t is conceded
by the reasonable that non-industrial
non-commercial Washington. with the
small taxpayers in government employ
constituting the city's financial back
bone, is poorer in taxable resources
than the average American city of its
size and is less able to bear the same
tax burden. No other city has so large
a percentage of property exempt from
a very large fraction of the city's
realty held from the tax list by the
United States and within that exempt
ed fraction the city's only great indus
tTfdi pldHtS anu IdCIOTleS- Inc extra
ordinary exemption of taxable values
makes the same burden weigh the
heavier upon the taxpaying fraction OF
the community. No other city, perhaps
has so large percentage of non-tax-
paying transients, who figure in the cen.
sus but not in the tax list. as Washing
ton. which from its very nature as tn.
nations city is unstable and shifting
in population. Nearly 80 per cent of 1T.
people are colored. and this Fraction
pays far smaller proportion thar
30 per cent of the total taxes. The dis
abilities, commercial. Industrial ant
political, which attach to legal resi-
dence in the, nations city. tend to cause
those who live within its boundarie,
to secure or retain legal residence else
where and to keep off the city's tax list
Thus the non-taxpaying census popu
lation, which reduces the nominal PEE
capita levy without reducing 1t in fac
by cash contributions, lis at a maxi
| mum and the taxable resources at {
minimum, with the result of seriou.
| disadvantage to the District in pc
capita comparisons. How much PEI
/ capita of tax levy could Philadelphia
/ Baltimore. New Orleans, Chicago
Cleveland or Milwaukee afford to pa!
IL its largest taxpayers. the owners o
it's mills and manufacturing plants
were omitted from the calculation: i
\ one-half of the built-up section Of tn
| city were exempt from taxation, an,
! II an extraordinary large pcTcentaR
+! of its population were transients O.
non-taxpaying for other reasons?
| Should Be Less.
| 1t is conceded also that the tax bur
dens of many American cities contain
| factors which represent conditions no
| found here. and that in estimating tn
| equitable tax burden of the Washing
| tonian the sums representing thes
factors may be eliminated, since 1t
! government by Congress, under ma
tional safeguards. prevents graft an
repders unnecessary and unfair an.
compulsory local tax contribution L
meet expenses of this character. Their
are also certain expenses of sustain
ing representative government in tn
| states which do not need to be raise
by Washington. since 1t is denied al
representative government, and whic
ought not to be duplicated in fgurin
it's equitable tax burden. 1t Is con
ceded that on the whole the Washing
tonian's equitable per capita tax bur
den should be somewhat less than tina
of the citizen of the average industrial
commercial American city approx
mating Washington in size. locatio
land general conditions.
The figures which have been give
show that Washington's per capita ia
burden, instead of being below tn
leverage, Is distinctly above 1t; that tn
few among comparable cities which ex
coed II In tax burden exceed 1t onl
slightly, and that many cities whic
ought to bear and are able to bear
far heavier burden fall below 1t, eve