Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-18
COME ON PLANS
OF APPLYING AUTO
PERSONAL TAX LAW
District Officials Believe
100000 a Year May Be
Added to Revenues.
SEVERAL THOUSAND
OWNERS NOT PAYING
Donovan, Coombs, Towers and Rus
sell Form Committee Map
ping Procedure.

First definite plans for administration
of the new law which forbids the Is
suance of automobile registration GER
tificates or identification tags to motor
lists who fail to pay the personal prop
erty tax on their machines were dis
cussed today at a prolonged conference
of a committee Of District officials COM
posed of Maj. Daniel j. Donovan,
auditor and budget officer; Wade H.
Coombs, superintendent of licenses;
Chatham Towers, collector of taxes,
and C. A. Russell, assistant tax assessor.
Operation of the new law, it is es-
timated, will add approximately $780,
900 a year to the revenue of the Dis
trict. which has been lost heretofore
through failure of several thousand au-
tomobile owners to pay the personal
property tax on their cars.
Outline of Procedure.
The committee had before it . gen.
eral outline of procedure for admins
tering the new law, drafted by Assistant
Tax Assessor Russell, after conference
with representatives OF the United
States Bureau of Efficiency, which sew
eral years ago strongly condemned the
present system, whereby so many au-
tomobile owners were able to escape the
tax. There also had been considerable
criticism in Congress.
All members of the committee at
work on the plan OF administration are
vitality concerned with the new system
which will 60 into effect with the is
suance of the 1890 Identification tags
and registration cards. Mr.. Coornbs
has direct supervision over the issuance
of the tags and registration cards, MIR.
Russell the assessment on which the
tax is based; Mr.. Towers, the collection
of the tax, and Maj. Donovan, the &C
counts of the various departments Of
the municipal government involved.
Details Not Disclosed.
The details of administration pro-
posed by Mr.. Russell were not disclosed
because there is likelihood that some
will be changed before the complete
plan is finished for consideration of the
District Commissioners, who must ap-
prove it before 1t is put into operation.
The committees recommendation, how
ever, Is expected to be made public as
soon as it is submitted to the Com
missioners in view Of its importance to
District motorists.
A vast majority of motorists who
failed to pay the tax, according to Dis
trict offlcials, were the owners Of small
cars whose tax ranged between IS and
$40 year. The cost to the District Of
forcing them to pay the levy, 1t was
pointed out, in most cases, would have
more than Offset the amount involved.
Moreover, 1t was explained, there is an
inadequate force of deputy tax col
motorists every year to compel them to
pay.
Heavy Loss to District.
Tax Assessor William P. Richards, in
whose office the tax bills originate, de-
clared that, under the present system,
it is impossible to collect the taxes from
the large group of car owners who each
year have failed to respond to the tax
bills. In the last ten years, he esti-
mated, this group has deprived the Dis
trict Of approximately 1000 900 in
revenue to which it was entitled.
Mr.. Richards explained that unless
the District makes an effort to collect
the unpaid taxes in three years, the
bills are 'outlawed," and no legal steps
can be taken thereafter to recover.
The law gives the municipality the
power to seize cars on which the per-
sonal property tax has not been paid.
he said, but with a small force of
deputy collectors, it would be a physical
impossibility to even attempt tc collect
taxes on several cars annually.
The new law, Mr.. Richards as well as
other District officials believe, will cor
rect this condition, although it will add
considerable work on the force Of the
omceS OF the tax assessor, tax collector
and superintendent Of licenses.