Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-11
Fiscal Committee Quits, Fa-
voring Inheritance and Ad-
ditionaI Gas Levies.
WILL SUBMIT BILLS
TO THE NEXT CONGRESS
Recommends Income Tax Be
Studied as Substitute for Assess
ment en- Intangibles.

Enactment Of a local inheritance tax
law, Increasing the ga-oline tax from
2 to cents per gallon and an addi-
tional automobile weight tax. all of
which. 1t is ectimated, would Weld an
pro%imately $4,000 900 a year revenue,
are 10 be proposed by the special COM
mittee directed TO study fiscal relations
between the Federal and District gov
| ernments, when Congress meets in De-
cember
The question Of amount and char
acter Of the contributions by the Fed
! eral Government to support Of the Ma
tional Capital, whether by definite
amount, sliding scale or a fixed pro-
portion, was not decided when the spe.
cial committee, headed by Representa-
tive Mapes, shut up shcp today and adj
journed until the latter part CT No
vember.
This special committee recommends
mat careful consideration should be
given to tn question of adopting an
income tax in lieu Of the present in
tsnglble personal property tax
Committee Action Unanimous.
! The action Of the committee was re-
ported 10 be unanimous in adopting
: thH5' tax proposals tentatively. sub
, lect 70 more definite determination in
November. after tire committee has had
an opportunity to get the reaction Of
public sentiment following the an
nouncement Of this tentative program
Chairman Mapes issued a formal
statement authorized by the committee,
as follows:
/ The committee has Tentatively
agreed, subject to ultimate action Of
me committee at later meeting, as
! follows:
7: To prepare and report bills 10
! the House OF REPRESENTATIVES 70 increase
! the gas tax in the District from cents
70 cents per gallon. TO provide for
. motor vehicle license tax based upon
tf7 weight of the car, and to enact an
inheritance tax law
>. To recommend that thorough
! confederation be given to the question:
Ct adopting an income tax law for the
d trict as a substitute for tire present
+ INTANGIBLE nersonal properly tax.
! Three. To recommend that tfe Leg
tslative Committee of the House OF Rep
+ resertativeS on the District of Colum-
bia prepare and that Congress pass leg
lslation changing the present method Of
! taxing public utilities in the District on
gross receipts End g"oss earnings TO an
ad ya'orem basis. repaa' ing the existing
law eXempting from TAXATION certain
, railroad property in the District and
to provide for a tax for the privilege
OF exercising corporate franchises with
in the District
Fixing of Lump Sum DELAYED.
J The fixing of the amount to be con-
/ tributed by the Federal Government to
/ the District Government was reserved
! TO later meeting of the committee.
| The committee will make a full
| complete and detailed report CT its find
( lngs and conclusions to the House of
/ Representatives upon the reconvening
/ of Congress"
: 1t is estimated that the gasoline and
! automobile weight taxes Will yield in
I creased revenue amounting to approx
/ matelv 100000 and that the proposed
! inheritance tax would yield approx
! mately 100000 more than is now being
, received
The recommendation for new legis-
lation changing the methods of taxing
public utilities to an al valorem basis
I would mean IN important increase in
! revenue, the members of the committee
believe. and would put the National
Capital on parity with practically all
other cities which now tax public utili-
ties as real estate instead of on re-
ceipts, as is done in the District
In propo ing these new taxes. the
committee felt that it could not fairly
say what a proper real estate tax rate
or Federal contribution to the National
Capital should be, based upon a COM
pariSon with tax rates in other COM
parable cities, until there was estab-
lished in the National Capital these
other tax levieS such as other cities
levy upon their taxpayers.