Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-18
CITIZENS ASK 6O-4O
PLAN FOR D. c. FUND
Return to Substantive Law
Provision Urged at Fiscal
Relations Hearing.
Continued From First Page.)

0~~~~J ~ ~SS~~SS SN~AH~J S@S S~NA@'
current taxes"
Mr.. Colladay told the committee
that the underlying thought of the
House resolution authorizing its crea-
ton seemed to be that a property
owner of the District should pay a
fair tax. This has been expressed
sometimes, he declared, as a tax COM
parable to the tax paid by citizen of
another city of substantially like size,
and at other times expressed as tax
which should be neither higher nor
lower than taxpayers Of other cities
pay.
ga number of tests have been sug-
sested and discussed" he declared, "by
which it has been thought the answer
to the question what is such fair tax
might be arrived at, some of which are
as follows:
81. Include Federal Government
property and tax it.
80. Exclude industrial property in
comparable cities from total assessment
and compute per capita on remainder
and make the District of Columbia pei
capita accord Herewith.
IS. Exclude State and county taxes
from other cities and compare the re-
mainder with the District.
81. Tax District of Columbia property
sufficiently to pay ordinary running
expenses of a comparable city and have
Federal Government pay all else.
These and other tests or methods
have been discussed from time to time
in Congress and during the hearings
before this committee, but apparently
none of them will work out to even a
substantially, much less precisely, &C
curate amount, as apparently contem-
plated by the resolution.
when Congress enacted the law OF
1878, providing that the contribution
of the Federal Government should be
in a fixed and definite proportion and
that proportion one-half, they con-
sidered these various tests and rejected
them.''
ut has been a desirable thing that
these tests and methods should be con-
sidered again at this time, but as they
will not produce the answer in the form
of definite amount, respectfully sug-
gest that the committee should recon-
mend the return to the method which
worked satisfactorily through so many
years of the contribution by the Gov
eminent Of fixed proportionate
amount"
Mr.. Colladay said he believed and
that it is generally conceded by men,
bers of Congress and citizens of Wash
ington that the cost of the municipal
government for the District is greater
than it is in other cities that are con-
sidered comparable because this is the
National Capital. There are various
reasons for these increased costs, he
declared, and they should not be
charged to extravaganza or ineficiency
in the administration of municipal
affairs
your Select Committee on Fiscal
Relations" said Mr.. Colladay, sis trying
to determine the amount that the Fed
eral Government should contribute. Nu-
merouS formulas have been submitted
for the determining Of this amount. One
of these formulas bureau of Efficiency
was on the basis that the amount that
the Federal Government should contrib
ute should be based on the value OF
property owned by the Federal Govern
ment in Washington that is free from
taxation. This method was agreed tc
by Representative Griffin Of New York
when appearing before the committee.
Another method of presenting the
question is to determine whether the
tax burden on the taxpayer in Wash
ington is equal to that imposed on tax
payers in comparable cities and this
subject has been featured by witnesses
before the committee.
Reviews City Valuations.
At this point, Mr.. Colladay submitted
a tabular statement on per capita as
sessed valuation of taxable property on
the assessed value and also on the eSti-
mated true value for Washington, and
for all cities with a population of over
100000, for cities between 100000 and
500 900 population, cities between 1OO,-
600 and SOC, 900, cities of $4,000 to 100,-
600, and cities with a population OF
1000 to $4,000, and for all cities in
the five groups, totaling $50 cities. This
statement, he said, was prepared FOR
him by l.. A. Carruthers of the Census
Bureau.
Mr.. Colladay called attention to the
per capita assessed valuation and also
the per capita estimated true valuation
for Washington given in the statement:
pointing out that it is far in excess or
any group of cities and for all cities.
This statement, he said, also contains
information on the per capita tax levy
any the per capita receipts from all
revenues which would assist the COM
mittee in determining whether the tax
burden in Washington is fair.
The statement also contained a
presentation of governmental cost pay
ments of maintenance and operation OF
all general departments for Washing
ton.
He called the committees attention
particularly to the per capita cost OF
general government for Washington
which includes the Commissioners,
auditor. assessor, collection of taxes,
maintenance of Municipal Building and
so forth, as being commercially low,
whereas the per capita costs for protec-
ton to property, sanitation, highways,
charities, hospitals, correction and
eduction are higher than for any
group of cities and for all the cities.
Cites Coolidge Address.
Mr.. Colladay then referred to former
President Coolidge's address to the
business organizations Of the United
states on June IL, 1928, in which he
declared that students of business trend,
experts in economic conditions. view
with alarm the continued advance in
the cost of government and declared
that this steady increase in govern
mental cost on the part OF States and
municipalities is menace to pros
"The Government Of the District of
Columbia" declared Mr.. Colladay, sis
subject to the same agencies having
to do largely with national Government
economy. / have in mind the Budget
Bureau, established by Congress to hold
appropriations within the available re-
sources; the Bureau of Efficiency which
makes its surveys to see If appropria-
lions are wisely spent; and the control
Ter generals Office, that determines
whether or not the expenditures are
within the appropriations.
Consequently, our District expendl-
lures should share the same praise as
given the Federal expenditure. 1 do not
believe there is doubt in the MIND OF
this committee but that District appro-
priations are as wisely and properly
spent as are those of the Federal Gov
eminent. If, therefore, the District
taxpayers are to bear the same taS
burden as comparable cities, I join with
the former President of the United
States in agitating wiser spending by