Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-21
Oddities and Absurdities
Of the Districts License Law

those who conduct establishments for
the treatment of bodily ills, the treat.
ment being based to some extent on
massage. escape any license tax.
Dogs are subject to license. but cats
are not. All puppies are dogs. yet tho
man who keeps puppies for sale does
not buy licenses for them. The pro-
prietor of a dog kennel in the Dis.
trtct escapes payment of licenses for
the dogs he has to sell, although the
license must be paid by the purchaser
or the dog goes to the pound.
Hucksters who go from door to door
with their vegetables or who move
+, about on the streets with their push.
carts pay an annual tax of Sl2 Their
| number decreases every year. Within
another decade all OF them may have
vanished from the license records,
along with the railroad ticket brokers
and the carriage and wagon builders.
for the chain stores have cut great
swaths in their ranks.
One OF the greatest sources Of
license revenue is from real estate
brokers. and it is interesting to note
the apparent discrimination here be.
tween man who sells real estate and
man who sells automobiles or ra.
dos, neither OF whom is subject to
license. Again. insurance solicitors
and underwriters are subject to a
license tax. yet bond statesmen or any
| security salesman is exempt from
such license tax. The peddler who
goes from house to house selling trick
collar buttons, neckties or safety pins
Is subject to license tax, provided
| the object which he sells Is delivered
at the time Of payment. Yet solicitors
In general. though subject to a license
I'm theory for which there is no
charge, may sell books, washing ma.
chimes or electric refrigerators by 60.
ing from door to door and escape at
the same time all contribution to the
| cost of maintaining the District of
Columbia.
For some time Chatham Towers, col.
lector of taxes. has been advocating
payment of taxes on automobiles at
the time the license tag Is secured, his
contention being that many automo-
bile owners escape the personal prop
erty tax on automobiles by falsifyinR
their addresses when they procure
their tags. For instance, there are
two addresses listed at the District
Building by the owners of license
tags-No. s and No. 8 Shad Row
which so far have escaped discovery
| able to locate "Shad Row" on the
| map, although it must be admitted
that 1t has familiar sound In Wash.
| ington.
There are many interesting posi-.
DiHtleS In thorough renovation Of
the old law Of 1902, not only as re-
CARDS the new businesses which have
established themselves in fha 1aat OK
years and escaped the payment Of
| license taxes. but because Of some Of
the inequalities which may exist un-
der the present law. The present
license law taxes a man who keeps
for sale SIS or $50 worth Of tobacco
as much as 1t taxes a man who runs
tobacco shop. A circus paws a IL.
| cense tax of $500 a day, while the
Washington ball club pays a license
tax on its property Of S. a game or
$40 week, choosing to pay, usually,
the "cut rate" of $40 a week. Thea.
tiers pay a license tax of S1O0 a year,
| the same charge applying to public
hall which may be open only 5 or
10 nights year. Such questions as
these, however, may more properly
be considered in a discussion Of a
business tax. Revenue from licenses
has increased from $117,6S0 in 1902,
when the law went into effect, to
S166,911 at the close of the last fiscal
year, few weeks ago. The question
is not the diminution of revenue from
licenses so much as whether the reve-
nues from such sources have shown
an increase commensurate with the
growth of the city. A thorough ex-
animation Of the situation here would
probably show that 1t has not.