Evening star., 1931-12-16
CIVIC GROUPSP Plan
TAX RAISE FIGHT
Organization Heads Take
View Time Is Not Ripe
for Increases.

Washington trade and civic organiza-
tions stand prepared to wage an earnest
battle against enactment into law of
proposed measures to increase taxation
in the District and reduce the Federal
lump sum contribution to the National
Capital as recommended by the Mapes
Committee. leaders of these bodies indi-
Gated TODAY.
Heads of The trade bodies were vir-
tually of one accord that, in view of the
unfavorable economic conditions, the
time is not ripe to propose increase in
taxes of any nature.
This American Automobile Association
will go thoroughly into the proposals to
increase the gasoline tax in the District
and to assess automobiles according to
weight, according to Arthur Carr, chair
man Of the District division.
We are calling a meeting imme-
diately Of the committee having these
problems in charge" Mr.. Carr said,
.and we shall demand an opportunity
to be heard on both questions. The
American Automobile Association will
certainly oppose any consideration of
increasing the gasoline tax in the Dis
trlct on basis of relationship with the
taxes in Maryland and Virginia. The
A. A. A. always has maintained that
the conditions for taxation are in no.
wAe comparable and it certainly is not
situation into which consideration for
OIL companies enters"
Proposals Called Vicious.
The Washington Chamber of Com
merce. according to Harry King its
president. will fight these recon-
mendatlons with all the energy it can
command" The proposals are vicious"
King declared, "as lar as Washington
Is concerned. Instead of decreasing the
Federal appropriation. they should in
crease it, now that they are taking away
from the city so much property for
Federal use that previously was tax
paying.
The tax rate in Washington" the
chamber president said, lis already
comparable to the rate in other repre-
sentative cities. The $1.70 rate looks
like small figure to some Congress-
men who have rates as high as So, but
they fail to take into consideration the
fact that we are taxed to the full eX-
tent of valuation, and the assessed
valuation oftentimes greatly exceeds the
salabe value"
The Board of Trade shortly will call
q meeting of its Municipal Finance
Committee, of which Joshua Evans, jr..
Is chairman. to take up the proposals of
the Mapes Committee. Robert J. Cot
trell, executive secretary of the board,
said the people have time and time
again proved their case and are per-
fectly willing to stand on the facts and
figures, which. if given chance at i'm
partial considerati ton, would be the
method of justice and equity for both
the Federal Government and the Dis
trict citizens"
Lump Sum Cut Attacked.
DR.. George c. Havenner, president
of the Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions. representing in its membership
dozens of civic bodies all over the
city. said the proposal to cut the lump
sum appropriation to S6500,000 would
be an absolute violation of the 60-40
basis of fiscal relations as provided for
in substantive law. This means the
Federal appropriation would be re-
duced to 12l2 per cent of the Districts
budget" he said.
Referring to the proposed gasoline
tax increase, Dr. Havenner said he had
no objection to this phase of the re-
port, provided abutting property own
ers were relieved of the cost of street
widening" The federation president
held that street widening does not i'm
prove the residential properties and is
done solely for the convenience of mo-
torists, who should pay this cost from
gasoline tax"
DIR. Havenner said he believed some
plan should be adopted that would i'm
pose a tax on the 10000 odd autono-
biles that pay only the minimum tax
rate simply because they have no valu-
alton ia the blue book" on which
present auto tax rates are based. Il
have given considerable thought to the
weight tax for automobiles" Haven
ner said, but I am not willing to
approve such method until it has been
given careful study and worked out on
q fair basis"
Favors Higher Exemption.
DR. Havenner said he believed the
exemption to single persons with $1,000
income proposed in the Mapes report
should be increased to S1,500 and this
ratio maintained on greater incomes
accordingly,
The Merchants and Manufacturers
Association, according to Edward D.
Shaw, executive secretary, may be
counted upon to fight any unfair tax
increase proposals. The merchants
body has taken a firm stand in oppo-
sition to increasing the gasoline tax
in the District. The weight tax pro-
posal for automobiles will be given due
consideration before the association
acts upon it, he said.