Evening star., 1922-06-06
TAX ON GASOLINE
MAY Be TESTED AS
RECIPROCITY BASIS
Commissioners Considering
Levy on 0ut-of-T Town
Autoists to Try Plan
WILL PROTECT MARYLAND
FROM LOSS OF REVENUE
A. A. A. Likely to Send Out Cues
tionnaire to Sound Out Motor
lists on Proposal.

The District Commissioners, it be-
came known today, are considering
recommending legislation to Congress
under which they would be able to
find out definitely how a. gasoline tax
would affect Washington and whether
1t would be an equitable basis for OBJ
tanning reciprocity in aut utomobilc tags
with Maryland
The plan as outlined in a letter to
Logan Cresop. 5402 39th street, in
dicates that the Commissioners have
in mind asking Congress for a law
that would permit them to collect a
gasoline tax Immediately from for
eisn cars. but in the case of cars
bearing District tags the gasoline
stations would only keep a record of
the amount of gas sold to each local
motorist without actually collecting
the tax. In this way the Commission
ers at the end of year OF such re-
ports would know accurately what
the gasoline tax would produce if i'm
posed
Would Protect Maryland.
The collection Of the tax from for
eign cars would have the effect of pro-
tecting Maryland from having mo-
torists Of that state buy their gaso-
line in the District to avoid the gaso-
effect in that state.
The American Automobile Associa-
ton probably will send out within
a week to local motorists a question
nalre to get a line on the sentiment
of Washington car owners on the
question of adopting the gasoline tax
as basis for reciprocity.
The letter of the Commissioners
replies to request for Information
is intended to outline the Commits
sioners sentiment.
Letter in Part.
The Commissioners letter reads, in
part, as follows:
obviously, any new system should
be as fair as possible to the owners
of motor vehicles as well as to the
public In general, which through
taxation, at present bears ct least
a part of the cost of highwsy na64sfs,
tenance and the entire cost OF new
construction. AS means of arriving
at an equitable basis, we are propos-
ing to ascertain as closely as can be
done the exact amount contributed
by the owners of automobiles in the
District of Columbia through taxa
tion and through the payment of au-
tomobile license fees. and at the
same time we are, in cooperation
with the A. A. A.. seeking to arrive
at a knowledge of the sentiments Of
the owners of automobiles in the Dis
trict. With exact information be-
fore US. we shall be better able to
decide upon correct policy.
Along Lines Of Legislation,
AT present it seems likely that the
policy finally decided upon will he
along the lines of securing legislation
from Congress under which we shall
be authorized to impose a gasoline
tax in the District of Columbia, upon
all vehicles not holding District TOT Of
Columbia licenses. and at the same
time require the operators of filling
stations and retail dealers in gaso.
line to report in detail the amount OF
gasoline sold to District of Columbia
machines With this information. we
shall. Of course, be better able % to
estimate the amount of revenue that
can be derived from gasoline taxation.
at various suggested rates, and, there
after. to frame legislation which will
permit US to apply this system Of tax
alton.
You will, of course, appreciate the
fact that whatever is done along this
line should be based upon very care
full consideration of the various diff
culties involved. such as, for ex-
ample. the registration of wholesale
and retail dealers, the forms of re-
ports to be rendered, the method of
accounting to be enforced, and the
detail of the system of compiling
and analyzing these reports We
have great hope that discussion CT
all these matters with the A. A. A.
will result in agreement upon the
character of legislation that will per-
init US after January l, 1924, to enter
into complete reciprocity with the
state of Maryland"