The Washington times., 1924-03-07
AUTO TAX
BILL SCORED
BY OWNERS
Many Expected to Personally
Voice Protests at Hear
ings Tomorrow.

Automobile owners of the District
Of Columbia are opposing enmasse
Senator L. Heisler Balls substitute
reciprocity automobile bill introduced
In the Senate to displace the bill
passed by the House providing for
2-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax and a
tat 81 registration fee.
The Ball bill adds a personal prop
erty tax of $1.20 per hundred-dollar
valuation on automobiles, while it
eliminates all appropriations by the
Federal Government made to meet
the revenue produced by the bill.
A vote is beng taken by the Amer
lean Automobile Association among
the car owners of the District which
will reveal their attitude toward the
two bills. With more than one-third
Of the votes received approximately
80 per cent are against the Ball bill
in favor of the adoption by the Sen.
ate Of the House bill.
Final Hearing Tomorrow.
The final hearing on the Ball
bill is set to take place in the
caucus room Of the Senate Office
building tomorrow afternoon at 2
o'clock. Everything indicates it
will be attended by hundreds OF
automobile owners Of the District
and that the presentation of the
opposition to the bill will be suffi.
GENTLY forcible to 'dispell all doubt
Of the attitude of the residents Of
the District to the provisions It
contains.
Under the Ball substitute bill
the total motor vehicle tax will be
increased about so per cent. As
affecting automobile owners of the
District it will be equivalent to the
present District tax plus the cost
Of Maryland automobile tags Tor
District owned cars.
The bill also destroys, it is point.
ed out, the established ratio of
contribution by the Federal Gov
eminent and the District of Co.
lumbia as set forth in the organic
act Of 1922. It's passage, it is de-
clared, will set UP a precedent
tending in the future to place more
and more the cost of local improve
ments on District tax payers.
Complete reciprocity with Mary.
land depends on the levying of a
2 cents per gallon gasoline tax.
winch has been agreed to by Gov
ernor Richie Of that State. The
House bill provides for this tax.
In turn this tax will produce an.
proximately $1,OO0,OOO, which, il
SET ASIDE Tor street and road i'm
proVement In the District, plus
the Federal appropriation under
present ratio, will make available
a 1und for this purpose equal to
tnaI oer1vable from the Ball bill.
WnlIe 1t relieves the automobile
owners OF the additional personal
tax OF $1.20 per hundred dollars
valuation. - .
Mileage Basis for Tax.
Highway mileage has been ar.
cepted at the proper basis for
establishing motor vehicle taxation
In various States. When it is con.
sidered that there is approximately
out 800 miles Of highway in the
District of Columbia, as compared
with $4,000 miles of highway in
Maryland, the unfairness of the
Ball bill becomes apparent. Lend.
ing still further emphasis in this
way are comparisons with highway
mileage In such States as Pennsyl-
vania and Texas. In the latter
State there Is more than 1885, 900
miles Of improved highways. Ac.
cepting this basis of taxation, it is
pointed out, and considering the
limited mileage in the District of
Columbia, there is no necessity for
levying an additional $1.2O personal
property tax on automobiles owned
in the District.
Internationally the hearing to.
morrow afternoon will be one of
the spiciest yet developed in con.
nection with pending taxation bills
in either the Senate or the House,
Of automobile owners, MANY IT
whom will insist upon being heard
as 1t will be attended by hundreds
In protest.