Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-07
TRADE BODY OPENS
SURVEY OF BUDGET
Opposition to Present Rate
Develops as Officials Pre-
pare for Study.

| opposition to a tax rate on real
estate as high as $3.50 per 500 for
| revenue purposes during the fiscal
! year 1889, in the face of the heavy
! Increase in the assessed value of prop
/ erty. which becomes effective July ]
| developed late Yesterday afternoon at
J a meeting of the officers and commit
/ tee chairmen of the Board of Trade,
| Who met to take up an intensive study
! of the budget estimates which have
been submitted by the department
! heads to the District commissioners.
! While no recommendations affect
! ing either the tax rate or the proposed
| budget for the fiscal year ending July
| !. 1929. were made at this meeting,
| the brief informal discussion of the
| problems showed a determined senti-
ment among the officials of the trade
organization for reducing. if possible,
! the existing high tax rate.
The budget committee" of the Board
of Trade. which met in the offices
OF the organization in The Star Build
ing. entered enthusiastically upon its
new privilege of Scrutinizing the
| budgetary figures before the Commits
sioners. the Bureau of the Budget and
Congress act upon them, and outlined
an intensive week of study of the
multitude of proposed appropriation
items before making recommendations
to the city heads as to how the bud.
get should be framed.
Committees TO Meet.
Each committee chairman of the
Board of Trade was instructed TO call
his committee together in special SEES
sion this week to so into the needs
of the various phases of the city gov
eminent during the fiscal year 1928
20, and to make written recommends
tons to the board by Saturday.
The officers and committee chair
men of the Board of Trade who con.
stitute the organiZa tons budget com
mittee" will then meet in it's second
special session Monday. when definite
action on the proposed budget items
| will be taken.
In addition to making recommended
! tons to the city heads as to what
! should be done regarding appropria-
! tons for specific departments or
phases of the local governments work,
the officials of the Board of Trade are
expected to devote particular atten,
ton TO the size of the total budget
estimates and to the tax rate which
will be necessary TO cover the proposed
expenditures
1t was suggested at the meeting
yesterday that the Board of Trade
set maximum figure for the tax
rate for the fiscal year 1929 and
make its recommendations as to an
preparations to conform to the neces-
sary limitations.
Havenner's Plea Cited.
At this point A. j. Driscoll called
DIR. George G. Havenner, member of
the Citizens Advisory Council, that
the tax rate be maintained at $3.50
per 500 valuation despite the boost
in the assessed value of real property
in order that increased funds might
be available for needed improvements
for the District. Mr.. DriScoll pointed
out that the increased assessment
would mean considerable increase in
the actual amount of taxes paid if
the tax rate were kept as high as the
present $3.50.
3. f. Saul, who is chairman of the
coming committee of the Board of
Trade, advocated a reduced tax rate in
view of the increase in the amount of
taxes due to the higher assessment of
property and declared that if the tax
burden were increased it would work
of the salaried property holders of
the District. While not suggesting
that the board should recommend
against any needed civic improve
ment MIR. Saul said it should question
the need of the proposed appropria-
tions carefully with a view to keeping
the tax burden as low as possible.
Joshua Evans, chairman of the
municipal finance committee of the
Board of Trade, who presided over
the meeting in the absence of Edwin
G. Graham, president, then declared
he felt personally that the existing
tax rate would prove too high under
the new realty assessment and an
nounced that his committee would
make a definite recommendation as to
n maximum for the rate to cover the
.192S-29 expenditures.
To Call City Officials.
Mr.. Evans also announced that
Daniel J. Donovan, the District audi
tor, and other heads of the city's
departments would be asked to appear
before the meeting of the officials Of
the board next Monday to explain
some features of the estimates of the
department heads.
In discussing the tax rate, Mr.. Saul
declared that an effort should be made
to stabilize the rate as much as
possible from year to year. A care
full scrutiny of the proposed estimates,
he said, might show that the rate
could be reduced to SLIGO per 800
valuation, or even as low as $3.50
without handicapping the operation of
the District Government. Pointing
out that within just few years the
tax rate had been boosted from S1.40