Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-14
TRADE OFFICIALS
URGE LOWER TAX
Reports Also Recommend In
creased Federal Aid for
City Expense.

Recommendation calling for sub
mrantlal lowering of the tax rate on
real property in the District, effective
during the fiscal year 1899. coupled
with definite proposals that the Fed
eral Government assume a larger and
fairer proportion of the cost of the
maintenance of the Nations Capital,
Yrpra laid before the Washington
hJard of Trade late yesterday by its
committee on municipal finance and
on national representation.
These recommendations were sub
mitted to the board at the conclusion
ct week of intensive study by the
various committees of the organiza-
ton of the estimates of the depart
ment heads of the District for the
opera ton of the local government dur.
ing the fiscal year ending June 80
1929.
Other committees of the board
through their chairmen. while sug.
gesting number of stable cuts in
the proposed estimates, which might
be ordered if necessary in the reduc-
ton of the total proposed budget, in
dorsed in the main the proposals of
the department heads as needed and
desirable. and looking to Congress to
make an increase in its contribution
Directors Act Monday.
Edwin G. Graham, president of the
Board of Trade, announced that a
special meeting Of the directors of the
organization would be held next Mon
day for the purpose of drafting final
recommendations of the board for sub.
mission to the District Commissioners,
who now are scrutiniZing the esti-
mates of the department heads.
While formal action on the sug
gested recommendations to the city
heads was deferred at the meeting of
the officers and committee chairmen
of the board yesterday, the consensus
of the meeting clearly was epitomized
in the reports by Theodore w. Noyes,
chairman of the committee on ma
tional representation, and of Joshua
Evans. jr., chairman of the commit
tee on municipal finance.
Lending an official note to the
recommendations of the committees,
William P. Richards District tax as
SCISSOR. in answer to query by Mr..
Evans, asserted that 'the tax rate in
the District is getting too high" and
that the actual amount of taxes paid
by residents of the District was high
compared with those paid in most
CIIleS OF comparable size. lie pointed
out that the full market value assess
nlent of property here made the local
tax rate, now at $3.50 per $500. seem
low in comparison with other cities
where the assessment is on partial
valuation ande where the actual tax
paid is less per capita than here.
Urge Return to 6O.4O Ratio.
&Championing return to the 6o40
ratio of contributions between the
Local and Federal governments in
bearing the cost OF the maintenance
of the Capital, which still is the sub.
EeantiveNiaw. despite the lump appro-
pratt plan which has been tempo
rarily substituted, Mr. Noyes, for the
committee on national representation,
Submitted a comprehensive statement
on District fina noes, making the three
following suggestions:
IL. That the Board of Trade recon-
mend reduction in the tax rate to a
figure which, sin the light of the in
creased assessed valuation and other
considerations would produce funds
as adequate as those raised under the
$50 rate.
2. That it increased funds are needed
beyond this figure, the increase in the
locaE tax burden be. met with CORE
spending increase in the Federal con-
tribution. -
Z. That the Board of Trade urge as
equitable the immediate increase of
the basic lump sum, now 100000,
not only to meet the increasing total