Evening star., 1924-04-07
Our New Tax.

DOuDLIeSS the SdS-CdX Dill VIII DC
come a law in the shape in which it is
submitted by the notably strong COM
mittee of conference which has been
considering it's terms.
1t is superfluous to say that Wash
ington grieves at the imposition Of
this tax.
Its passage with 4 two-cent tax rate
was not essential to license reciprocity
with Maryland. Ry the terms of the
Maryland statute the successful opera
ton of the Maryland gas-tax law was
% reduce and finally to eliminate the
license charge on automobiles. This
license fee has already been cut in
half, and will soon doubtless disap-
pear. With no charge for license in
either jurisdiction (our dollara- year
license charge being negligiblel, prac-
teal reciprocity would exist auto
matically.
Thus no surrender of the District
interest for the benefit Of our good
neighbor Maryland was necessary;
at any rate, not to the extent of ex-
acting two-cent-a-gallon tax on gas
oline.
Washington, therefore, regrets, first,
that there was any gas tax whatever
imposed, and, second, that the new
tax, if imposed, was not at the one
cent rate. The evidence that for an
urban community like Washington the
~, I.
ure and the one which lf-taxing
community under Washington's mu-
nicipal conditions would surely i'm
pose upon itself in preference to the
two-cent rate, seems to The Star ire
sistibly convincing.
Washington appreciates the thought
ful, earnest consideration which the
conferees have given in order to safe
guard as far as possible the principle
of definite proportionate contribution,
and to maintain the stability Of the
new organic act of 1922.
The declared intent of the conferees
is to treat the gas tax like other per-
sonal property taxes, in that the en-
tire proceeds Of the tax are to go to
the Districts sole credit. to be applied
upon the Districts proportionate con-
tribution NOW 60 per cent, whatever
it may be when the appropriation is
actually made, and to use this tax
fund solely as the Districts proper
tionate contribution toward the i'm
provement and repair of streets and
roads. And the words used seem,
when reasonably construed, to give
effect to this intent.
Washmgtpn's main practical con-
Germ today is that the new law shall,
in fact, be SO worded and construed
as to give concrete, practical express
sion to the conferees' just intent.
1t may be that after the accumu-
lated unmet needs of the city in re-
spect to streets and roads have been
met and satisfied from this fund, it
will be discovered that the increasing
revenue from this tax will more than
suffice to pay the Districts 60 per
cent of the cost of current street and
road Improvement and repairs. In
this case the Districts legislature
will justify either cut the tax to 1
cent per gallon or broaden the uses
to which the fund can be applied, so
that it may be used, for example, for
street extension as well as street i'm
provement, or SO that it may help to
meet the Districts proportionate share
of the cost not only of streets and
roads but of other urgent and
neglected municipal needs, like in
creased water supply, high-pressure
dre:protection service, etc.
But sufficient unto the day are the
tax problems thereof. -