Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-17

! Saa'~'AA''N'''' 800 ''ND,
MINNEAPOLIS. los. 1868, OO(
Baltimore .... 1860 .00(
Cleveland. ....... l2O.439. 0O(
Kansas City. ............. AZ .3Oo.oUt
81. LOUIS. ................ l43.buUuOt
Dctrolt.. ................. lt3,OUU.UUt
Pittsburgh. ..,....... $4,000 .00(
San Francisco. ..... EOS 900 00(
Boston. $50 5000 .00(
SlilCdsSo. 'lr,ooo'oo,
New \ OK. ........... f.Zoo, Ooouo'
These are cities With which Wash
ingtcn is being compared in tax rate
Washington in no instance compares
with others in business turnover.
Approves Boards Figures.
DR. Page. as an economist and s;atis-
tician. testified that the figures pre-
sented by the Board of Trade as bust
ness mems deductions are more reli.
able than those made in a political
survey, saying;
Therefore. these gentlemen CORE.
Sponded with the boards of trade and
the chambers of commerce and other
business groups Of the different cities
from which they wanted to get informa-
ton. and the figures that they quote
are in my Judgment. more nearly cor
rect and more trustworthy than arc
the figures you will find in the COM
.pilations that are made by most OF the
official bodies that have to take these
matters into consideration.
According to the estimates. based
upon actual transactions here in wash
ingtcn the assessment. as Mr.. Evans
has said. is o6 per cent of the full
value.
Il want to say that at the present
time, in my Judgment this 96 per cent
is lower than the actual ratio. bccaus'
those sales run back as far as 1921
At that time the assessments we're not
quite as high In proportion To the fun
value as they have been In subsequent
years.
After the law was changed which
directed the assessor to take only
fraction of the true value as the as
sessed value of the property, to the
provision that assessments should bf
on the full value OF the property. II
took some time to bring the assessment
up IN accordance with that change III
the Law. You will notice that in re.
cent years the sales that have been re-
ferred to by Mr.. Evans show that many
transactions have occurred in which
the actua! price paid for the property
was very much less than the assess
ment put upon it, There have been {
number of cases OF that kind.
There is good reason why assess
mcnts should b. relatively high in til"
city OF Washington. The chief reason
is this. that In almost all other parts
of this country the assessments OF prop
erty are made by officials who arc
subjcc, to TIL. will OF the people who
fra
elected. Sometimes they are appoint
ed by the local courts. In any event
they are responsive TO the preference
of the community In which they live.
THAT Is not true In Washington. In
the District Of Columbia the assess
ments arc made by an ofiicial who Is
responsive and responsible not TO the
local population in any manner whatSo-
ever. but TO government over which
the people of the District. as you are all
we'll aware, have no control or influence
whatsoever. other than the fact that you
are always willing to consider their
representations. as you arc doing now,
in regard to District affairs.
The assessor in the District OF CO.
himbia. In other words Is completely
removed from any influence OF control
by the people of the District OF Column
bia. and therefore he is free TO put the
assessments at full value withou, regard
TO what the people OF thu District want
them TO be. In no other city In the
United States is that true.
THE result Is that In every other city
In the United States the assessments
vary more or less from the true value.
The amount that is collected from In =
tangibleS likewise appears TO be high IN
comparison with the amount collected
I'm any other city.of the size and impor-
lance OF Washington. There Is no city
that ! know OF where the assessors nave
been able 10 put on the lists FOR taxa
ton as large an amount OF Intangible
property in proportion 10 the population.
When you talk about taxes in the
District Of Columbia and say that they
arc only so much per capita. that does
not look as II they were paying any
more than they were paving In other
parts OF the Nation. But those who &C
tually have TO pay taxes are paving
higher taxes than are being paid In
other parts Of the United States.
That really means this. that the
chief burden OF taxation In Washington
falls upon a small part of the popula-
ton and that Is the part of the popu-
Iation that actually owns the land.
"A home owner In Washington Is
taxed at a rate which makes HON" own
ersh!p by the ma iortty OF people VINO
are employed In the Government sfrv-
Ice In Washington practically impossi-
BILE
Not only Is the burden higher but
the rates have been going up SO rapidly
In recent years that many people who
bought homes In Washington now flnd
themselves severely burdened. much
more than they had expected To be. by
The increase In taxation.
at Is true that here In Washington
there ere a great many attractive fea-
lures to make HE In this city pleasant
to those who can afford II, But II Is
only those OF considerable means who
can afford to enjoy these pleasures that
are available In Washington"
DR.. Havenners Remarks
Dr. Havenner. In opening the argu-
mrnt for the Citizens Advisory Coun-
ell said
THE FIRST $4,000 900 lump sum was
carried In the 1925 appropriation bill.
The total amount OF that bill was SGT
0GD 900, OF which the 80. 000, 900 repre-
"en,ed 81 II per cent
In 1925 the total appropriation was
&27 a76, GAS. and tile 50 900 900 Federal
contribution represented j2.27 per cent.
In 1927 the appropriation was SAL
gB2 .068. the Federal contribution OF
80 900 900 representing 2842 per cent.
In 1874 the appropriation was
$40 40 100, and the 100000 Federal
contribution represented 2294 per cent.
Nov. We estimate that the FedeH al
appropriation for 1920. including sup
plemcntais. viii be In round ngsires
$40 900 600 A Federal contribution OF
50 600 900 would represent about 22b
per cent,
Now. do not propose Ia ASK your
committee To return 10 the 90 40 princt-
pie but I would like To have your
committee return Ia an amount that
would equal 31l7 per cent. he amount
that was contributed by the Federal
Government IN 1928. when the lump
sum appropriation was flfst adopted,
To do this, on the baais nj "A sac, 900 900