Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-15
CONGRESS IS ASKED
TO CHANGE DATE TO
PAY FOR AUTO TAGS
f! Commissioners Prefer De-
cember | Instead of Janu-
airy I, as at Present.
TALIAFERRO SENDS BACK
OPTIONAL MAILING PLAN
Tax Assessor Would Employ Larger
Force for Handling of
Applications.

The District Commissioners today
sent to Congress a request for change
in the law relating to the assessment
of automobiles for the payment of per-
sonal property taxes. The law at pres
ent reads that the cars must be as
sessed as Of January each year. This
causes the tag sale to be thrown over
into January, intead of being held in
December, as in years past, since the
personal property tax must be paid
before the tag Is sold. The amendment
proposed is to make the assessment as
of December ! each year.
The matter of setting up an optional
system for mailing tags TO those who
wish to apply for them by mail rather
than In person has been sent back to
Tax Assessor Richards for further study.
In reply to previous communication
from Commissioner Sidney F. Taliaferro,
Mr.. Richards recommended that the
present system be continued, but that
extra help be employed to avoid the
delay on the opening and closing days
Of the tag sale.
Likes Present Method.
"I personally think" he wrote. that
the present method of giving out tags
at a centralized station and requiring
the owners of the cars to call for the
tags is preferable to any other method.
The only need is to have provisions
for a force capable of handling crowds
without delay, and this can be done
by providing for extra help during the
months when tags are to be issued.
The extra help so provided would cost
less than the help that would be re-
quired for mailing out the tags. II
the force Is sufficiently large to do
away with any waiting. it would be
the ideal system Of tag distribution.
Naturally the new help would work
under the guidance and close scrutiny
of expert officials.
Tags are primarily for police protec-
ton. The numbering of car is an
identification in case of accident or
failure to obey the law. The funds
raised from a personal tax Is linked
with the issuance of tags as measure
for certain collection. Three opera
tions are required at arriving at the
amount. One the value of the car.
Another the value multiplied by the
rate, and then an addition of the tag
| charge. The personal tax could be
| abolished and a tonnage charge for the
| tax could be made to cover such an
amount. This understand is the
method used elsewhere. A table of
weight and charge could be supplied
to the public, from which the applica-
ton blank could be completed subject
question of sufficient revenue from our
automobile system it could be covered
by raise in the tax on gasoline. The
above Is merely suggestion for a
method of certainty and speed in the
issuance and recording of automobile
tags.
Mailed In Maryland.
"The mailing of tags is, of course.
imperative in the sections where the
owners are far removed from the CEN
trail point of distribution. For example.
in Chevy Chase people receive their tags
by mail from Baltimore, but before get
ting such tags they are required to pay
their personal tax and to work out the
cost OF their tags from prepared table
Of weight or tonnage. The necessary
money and the receipt of their personal
tax is mailed to Baltimore before re-
ceiving tag by mail. In the city of
Baltimore persons are generally re-
CURED TO call for their tags, and I
think this Is true OF all large cities in
the country.
If the tags are to be sent by mail
most OF the preparation would be during
the month Of November at q time when
this ONCE Is preparing its lists and
sending out notices relative to the adj
Vertisement Of the delinquent tax list.
Although am opposed to the mail
ing OF tags, would like to add to this
statement after obtaining some infor-
nation OF methods In other localities
and some further experience in the work
of this month"
Commissioner Taliaferro, who is
known to favor the mailing system, was
evidently dissatisfied with the conclu-
Sions In the report and the matter was
sent back to Mr.. Richards for further
study.