Evening star., 1926-03-23
HOW MUCH TAXES
SHOULD We PAY
FOR 1927 BUDGET?
Are Not Our Property Tax
Twenty Millions and Per
Capita $43.21 High
Enough?
MUST WE INCREASE
OUR $1.7O TAX RATE?
Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.
BY THEODORE W. MOVES.
ARTICLE III.

The District is now bearing i'm com
parison with other cities an adequate
fax burden and Il sufficiently heavy
tax rate in view of its high standard
of assessment and of fullness of tax
collection and the peculiar disabilities
under which il lab0rs.
pertinent suggestion Of the cen
sus bulletins is that the eXtravagant
increases of municipal taxation in
American cities from 1917 to 1922 have
been checked: that WaShingtons in
creases since 1922 have in percentage
largely exceeded those of the other
cities, and that the point has now
hcen reached in Washington as we'll
as in the other cities where the princi-
pies of Coolidge economy can with
benefit he observed. Between 1922 and
1928 Washington's property tax in
creased 1872 per cent; st. Louis. Al
per cent: Minneapolis. 80 per cent;
Newark. 81 per cent; Baltimore. 1878
per cent; st. Paul. 2.5 per cent; Provi-
dence, per cent. Louisville. 15.S per
cent: Denver, o. per cent Peoria de-
creased 81 per cent from 1922 TO 1923,
and New Orleans, owing to eXtraordi-
nary conditions. decreased between
the two years So per cent.
Between the fiscal years 1924 and
1926 Washington's tax rate increased
from S12 per thousand to S11 per
thousand. an increase Of 412a per cent.
The revenue from taxes on realty and
tangible personally increased in two
years $6.49S. .094, the total for the fiscal
year 1924 being S10.5l4.653 and for the
fiscal year 1926 S17,012,7t7.
This extraordinary increase in the
local taxpayers burden imposed during
q period when tax rates of other cities,
collectively, have been nearly at a
standstill. raises District taxation to a
height which should satisfy the most
vigorous critic Of Washington's al
ieged light tax burden, and should i'm.
press strongly upon all of us, Con
gress included, the vital necessity of
battling further local tax burden in
be thoughtfully studied.
Comparing 1925 Tax-rate Figures.
The latest figures available for tax
rate comparisons are those of 1925,
compiled by the Detroit Bureau of
Governmental Research and printed in
the December, 1925, number of the
National Municipal Review. To make
available current statement Of the
tax rates and actual tax burdens in
cities having over 900 population
this Bureau has compiled a tabulation
showing the actual tax rates for 1925
by purposes; the adjusted total tax
rates upon a basis of a uniform as
sesSed valuation of 100 per cent; and
the readJusted taXrates. approximate
ing the actual taX-burdens. when con-
sideretiOn is given to the reported re-
lation of assessed to true value.
Through these tables we will COM
pare iWashmgton's tax rate with those
of chies in States of small tax rate
and high assessments, like Ohio, North
Carolina, etc, and of cities in States
of high tax rates and low assessments,
like Illinois. Iowa, South Carolina,
Florida, etc Next we will compare
the tax rates of these cities when all
are pueeon the full 100 per cent valua-
tion; sid then we will compare them
when the statements or admissions of
city officials as to the relation of true to
assessed value are taken into account.
Finally from these total readjusted
tax rates we will deduct in all cases
OD the tax rate for state purposes and
~ the percentage of tax rate applied
to the payment of interest on indebt-
edness.
These comparisons will show that
while Washington's nominal tax rate