The Washington times., 1923-07-05
D. c. SURPLUS IS
MORE THAN
MILLION
Auditor Donovan Reports 1923
Best From Standpoint
of Taxes.
CONTINUED from Page. 16.)

On all other revenue items, sixty
six in number, the total collected
in 1922 was $1,S13,147.63, an in
crease over the auditors estimate
OF $433,147.63, and $426:063.4O over
the like collections in 1922.
Major Donovan points out that
the District must this year raise
$15,131, ,78S.40 He says that About
$6,OOO,OO0 will be raised through
taxes on intangible personal prop
erty, public utilities and banks, ana
miscellaneous items. The rest must
be raised, he said, from taxes on
real estate and tangible personal
property. He recommends the $1.2O
tax which, he says, will be suf-
ficient to raise this amount.
The provision in the District
appropriation act which requires
the payment of ground rent OF
3 per cent on the full value OF
property of the United States used
for any municipal activity from
which revenue is received works
unjustly to the taxpayers Of the
District"
Money All Goes to U. 8.
He says on this point:
"AIl moneys received for rental
Of vault spaces, about $4,000 a
year, now goes wholly to the
United States, although the District
pays 60 per cent of surface and
sidewalk and street improvements.
All receipts from the wholesale
producers market, about $4,000 a
year, are credited to the United
States, and this amount if increased
by half would not pay the full
rental, yet the District pays go per
cent of the salaries of employees Of
the market and contributed so per
cent of the cost of the structures:
and the entire receipts from public
convenience stations, nearly $4,000
a year, go to the United States,
while the District pays $4,000 Of
the 100000 appropriations for sal
aries and expenses, and shared half
the cost Of the buildings"
Speaking of the cash surplus,
Major Donovan says:
"By the close Of the fiscal year
1924 the District will have raised
81 200, 900 of the cash fund of 3d.
000y000 to be collected and deposited
in the Treaeury before July 1, 1927.
The raising of this fund imposes an
G11lA uAkIlCCCSSdIy UuI0OAA
upon the taxpayers Of the city as
the District now has to its credit
on the books of the Federal Treas
ury a free surplus Of about $4,500,-
600, an amount more than suffi-
cient to enable the District within
present appropriation limits to
operate on a strictly cash basis.
The ownership of the District to
this fund is recognized by the
Comptroller General of the United
States, and in the recent investiga-
ton into fiscal relations between
the United States and the District
by joint select committee Of Con-
gress, the committee recommended
that Congress Recognize the ex.
istence of a free surplus in the
United States Treasury to the
credit Of the District or Columbia
as of June 80, 1922, in the sum of
$4,671. 1861 After charging cer-
tain sums. found to be owing the
United States the committee found
a net free surplus belonging to the
District of $4,438,154.92. The raising
of the additional $3,000,000 will
merely result in increasing the Dis
trict's cash in the Treasury to near
ly S,500,000, sum far in excess of
cash needs considered with current
collections and the semi-annual pay
ment of taxes. Every effort should
be made to have the free surplus
appropriated for municipal inn
or else that it be per-
mitted to be ustd as an operating
cash fund and thus do away with
the present necessity of raising
a. new fund for this purpoSe"