Evening star., 1923-12-27

Continued from First Page.l
ceipts from taxation. fines and fees,
etc, including registration ices ana
personaI property tax, for 1928 are
estimated at sS53.26G. ] am inclined
TO think, however, that our es'iihate
of $1,000 cars which pay persona
property taxes in the District Is rain
er low and that this figure is nearer
S40O 200 than S262.500, which would
bring the total estimated receipts
under the existing law up to nearly
81 .00O 900.
:It is expected that under the exist
ing law the receipts from taxation.
fines. fees. etc. on automobiles in
the District will amount to llttie
over 100000 for 1924. II is es-
timated that the new bill as present.
ed to your committee viii produce ap-
proXimateIy 100000 year more than
the existing law and this will increase
in Proportion as the cars increase In
number.
Sees Heavy Increase.
"As amended by your committee,
the personal property tax is restored,
! which will have the effect OF incr cas-
ing the present tax for motorists IN
the District by about SO per cent, or,
in other words. the bill as amended
will produce about $1.5O0.00O OF reVe-
nue..
The District cars that are regis
tered in Maryland pay out each year
approximately 100000 for Maryland
tags, titles. drivers licenses, etc The
| bill as amended by your committee,
therefore. practically wipes out any
! financial advantage to be gained oy
reciprocity, and leaves the situation
just about as il is, in SO far as total
outlay by the motorists OF the DIS
trict is concerned. At the same time
there is considerable disadvantage
20 a large number or car owners IN
the District of Columbia VINO 90 not
under the present law, drive in Mary
land and who do not, therefore. pay
registration. title and other automo-
bile taxes in that state.
The 2-cent gasoline tax in lieu OF
the present horsepower tax OF -. 20
and $40 and the personal tax OF $i.5o
on the hundred, as presented TO your
committee, will, We believe, aoe-
quately take care of the Just taxa
ton of the motorists of the DISTRICT
and that by including the personal
property tax il will work a grave
hardship on the owners of the great
majority of automobiles. including
small cars.
THAT the bill as amended will pro-
duce more revenue than shouio De
placed upon the motorists OF the Dis
trict is shown by the fact that the
amount produced by II will be more
than the entire expenditure for street
and road construction in the District
of Columbia during 1923. ana nearly
as much as will be expended during
1924, See tables attached, EXHIBITS b
and C.
"Inasmuch as the federal govern
ment should pay a portion or the COST
of streets and roads in the Dlstrlct
of Columbia out of the general fund
and that the owners OF real estate
should also pay portion, II does not
seem fair and just that the motorists
of the District should be called upon
to produce as much money as Is De.
ing expended on the entire street
and road program 1t is quite true
that Congress has been somewhat
parsimonious in its expenditure FOR
roads and streets in the District and
that these expenditures nave not
kept pace with our traffic needs.
'+There were only 1000 licenses is
sued in 1913, while in 1928 the total
registrations exceeded 100000, but the
appropriations for streets and roads
in the District have only increased
from s9Sl,O00 in 1913 to s1,26S.000 In
1923 and s1,7S3.000 for 1924. If the
appropriations had been made in pro-
norton to the growth OF automobile
traffic, the District would now be
spending many millions OF dollars an
nually for street and road improve
ment.
Wants Cost Divided.
..pha point which l wish to empha-
size in this connection is that the
whole cost of construction and main
tenance of streets and roads In the
District of Columbia should not be
saddled upon the motorists or the
District, as is PROVIDED Tor In the Dill
as amended.
I'm Maryland and in many other
progressive road states the tax which
| is placed on automobiles is used for
maintenance of the principal high
ways, the construction funds being
raised by bond issues or by general
taxation on other property. If this
formula of taxation Is correct and Is
applied to the District of Columbia,
and il it is assumed that the automo-
all streets. avenues, alleys and sub
urban highways, 1t would seem either
that Congress has not appropriated
enough money for this purpose or
that motorists Of the District are now
being overtaxed.
"The expenditures for these pur-
poses during 1923 amounted to about
$3.50, 900, and it is estimated that the
repair bill for 1924 will amount to
about 100000. II the bill is passed
as amended by your committee, 1t will
produce twice as much money as was
appropriated for the repair of all
streets, avenues, alleys and suburban
roads for 1924. Does this appear to
you to be fair Just and eauitnSiey nhiio.
assessed in practically all of the
states as personal property, but ow-
| ing to the difficulties of arriving at
equitable valuations from year to
wear as the cars deprecated, there is
a tendency in many of the states to
eliminate the personal property tax
on automobiles and to levy registra-
ton weight or gasoline taxes in lieu
thereof. The states which have
adopted this policy are as follows:
Alabama, Deiaware. Idaho, Iowa.
Michigan, Minnesota, New York. Ok
lahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania. South
lCarolina, Tennessee and Vermont. For
further details In regard to this
phase of the subject and other phases
of motor vehicle taxation in the diff
ferent states. there Is attached here
to a table recently issued by the
United States bureau of public roads
I'm view of these facts. I trust
that you will insist that the bill be
passed as originally drawn, for that
bill has the almost unanimous sup
port of all Of the motorists OF the
District OF Columbia and the state OF
Marylaudn ..-- -