Evening star., 1926-10-26

throughout the States and the District
of Columbia gets no corresponding
allotment.
The first of these facts has very
direct bearing on the subject Of the
tax dollar. There is no city in all
the world where so much of the prop
erty is removed from taxation. With
a total of $4,000 acres. we find by the
records of the assessors Office that
the United States Government holds
$500 acres valued at $400, 900 900; the
District Government, 625 acres. val
ued at $30.000.000, and legations,
charitable institutions, churches and
schools, 1900 acres, valued at $780,
100000. This leaves 10000 acres ex-
elusive of streets, on which taxes can
be levied. This land is valued at
$402 ,S4S ,046 and improvements valued
at $497 .901, ,796-of total of approx
mately 5000, 100000. In other words,
there is about a billion and a half Of
real estate here, of which taxable In
dividuals own less than a billion and
the other half billion-one-third of the
total, is exempt
In setting up the lump-sum plan 1t
was argued in justification in Con.
gresS that the Government had about
reached limit on its land holdings
here, while the residential develop
ment and business Improvement were
constantly increasing. Millions upon
millions-perhaps total of $50 900 900
in the choicest real estate locations
are already on the program to be
Hcquired by Congress within the next
FIVE years-thus removing more and
more of our land from taxation.
1t must be made clear that the re-
turns to the District trea Sllrv from
the tax on real estate do not meet all
of the Districts share of the budget
for the maintenance and Improvement
OF the National Capital. For example,
the tax on intangible personal proper.
~ brought in approximately 1900
900: the tax on public utilities, banks.
building associations, etc, brought in
anDrOXimately 81 $40 600; revenue
from various miscellaneous sources,
such as license fees, s3,000,0O0 What
ever balance is needed in addition to
these sources of revenue is raised by
taxes on real estate and tangible per.
sonal property. The assessment en-
real estate for the current year was
$900,749,8 ,842 and the assessment ON
tangible personal property was ap-
proximately S100.000,000.
$4,000. 900 Does Double Duty.
And not only does the Nation ex.
pend millions toward which the Dis.
trict makes substantial contribution
upon the several States, without per-
mitting the District to share in this
distribution. but the individual States
and counties spend millions in sub.
ventions upon their great cities. While
Congress was making n great to-do
about contributing $8,910,000 toward
tho I1nl<nan of tho Nofiny'C Covifo1
New York City was getting S18,542,-
557. while Chicago, Philadelphia, De-
troit and score of other cities were
drawing many millions.
Thus on analysis we find that the
lump sum Of $4,000. 900 from the Fed
eral Treasury toward building the
greatest Capital in the world is made
to serve as an economical substitute
both for national aid to the State and
State aid to the city.
We get no Federal or State aid in
the support Of our local schools. We
are just completing a big school-build.
ing program with hearty $4,000, 900
paid from our surplus funds, which
represents the amount Congress was
shy on matching dollar for dollar with
us Yet Congress has fixed it so that
people who pay taxes in Maryland
and Virginia get their children edu
Gated at the expense Of the taxpayers
of the District of Columbia. Also we
have in our schools children from
every State in the Union. who come
here in the train Of members of Con.
gress.
Consider also that the Government
uses 40 per cent Of our water and
pays no rent.
We have here the Federal City. with
most of the people working for the
Government on salaries that are small
in comparison with salaries paid else
where in private industries. They are
the ones on whom the burden of tax.