Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-12
The Verdict.

The injustice and the improperly OF
the Mapes Committees formula for
the solution of the fiscal relations
problem are so obvious that ex-
tensive elaboration is unnecessary.
Suffice it to say that the very nature
of the final verdict, and the man. in
which it was reached, become safe
guards for the unrepresented taxpayers
of this community who are victims.
The verdict becomes an appeal in itself.
There are intelligent and fair-minded
men in Congress who, on the strength
of this verdict alone, will hccome the
Districts champions.
Consider, for moment, The brief his
tory of this latest fact finding" investi-
cation of fiscal relations. It came about
when the House and Senate were I'M
able to agree on the amount that the
Federal Government should appropriate
for support of the Capital. The House,
without rhyme or reason, and contrary
to the spirit as we'll as the letter Of
existing law, held out for 100000.
soning, as we'll as the spirit. If not the
letter, of the law, held out for $12 ,000,-
900. A compromise at $9,500,000 was
reached, coupled with the passage of
resolution in the House directing spe-
cial committee to investigate the "va-
rious elements, factors and conditions"
bearing upon the question Of fiscal rela-
tons and to recommend to the House
what amount, in their judgment, the
United States should contribute annual
~ toward the development and main
tenance of the municipality" and also
to investigate the various forms and
sources of local revenue and to recon-
mend new or changed forms of taxation.
The committee of seven was pre-
dominantly antagonistic to that point
of view, not necessarily the mere local
point of view, that the Federal Govern
ment was legally and morally bound to
generous and adequate support of its
Capital. Its long session of hearings
developed and amplified this very point
of view. The expert testimony on
relative burdens of taxations, submit
ted by the Federal Bureau of Efficiency,
showed first that the local tax burden
was adequate in comparison with that
of other cities, and with certain allow
ances which in equity should be made,
was relatively heavy. 1t showed, more
over, that the Federal Government was
Sinking its financial liabilities in con-
nection with the support of the Federal
City and that the Federal appro-
priations were inadequate. This testi-
mony- by the Bureau Of Efficiency was
later repudiated, on the floor of the
They appealed for additional funds for
the hire of another expert investigator
on the ground that the Bureau of
Efficiency report was embarrassing.
The expert was engaged and has ap-
parently put in many weeks of hard
labor compiling comparative tax data.
He has made known his own very sane
and sensible views regarding an adjust
7nent Of the local tax burden by meth
DDS which might more evenly distribute
the burden without necessarily increas-
ing it. His formal report to the COM
mittee has been delivered and received
in secret Nobody knows what is in
1t except the members of the committee.
And after three short executive ses-
Eions the committee has announced
that its formula for solving the prob
lem of fiscal relations Is the imposition
of local inheritance tax, which takes
the form Of an additional and not a
substitute form of taxation; the dou-
bling of the gasoline tax and the i'm
position Of a higher registration tax
which take the form of additional taxes,
and not the substitute form of taxation
recommended in lieu of the personal
tax on automobiles, in proposed study
of local income tax, as a substitute
tor the present tax on intangibles, and
IN the imposition OF new taxes on pub
lie utilities.
The matter of chief Importance,
which is the division of expenses be-
tween the local and the Federal gov
ernmentS and the amount to be ap-
propriated by the latter, is relegated to
q position of secondary Importance. 1t
is even intimated that this subject can
not receive adequate attention until the
results Of new local taxation have been
studied.
In November or December the COM
mittee viii meet again and make its
formal report. The contents Of this re-
port have been pretty well forecast al
ready. The evidence upon which the
report will be based remains mystery.
What Mr.. George Lord told the COM
mittee remains secret. A one-sided
case against the District is being built
on foundations that are SO wobbiy that
It may topple of its own weight.
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