Evening star., 1932-05-26
ggregate nearly a million dollars less
han the District:
Rec. as sidy
Paid in State or to
Fed. Taxes, Nat. Cap. Aid Tax
Fiscal Year. Fiscal Year Pay
1oaI t02f want

vsy%ont Wyo%nx sss9lGsS sss9ass ss
IT,. Sta sls.752, SGT 80 ss4,s75.osl.25
Average peTeentass Of a subsidies to tax
clude appropriations made by CONGRESS for
direct relief or loans to States on account OF
floods, hurricanes, fires, drought, etc.
According to the official figures re-
ported by the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, the District of Columbia paid
in Federal taxes in 1881 nearly 81 ,000,-
900 more than these II States combined
and its percentage of aid received for
taxes paid (65 per cent? Is less than
that of any Of these IL States and Is
about one-fourth of the average per-
centage of the IL States combined.
The District in 1881 paid In Federal
taxes IS per cent more than the Nation
appropriated in that year for National
Capital upbuilding and for the District
National Guard.
Relatively Small Payment to ID. c.
In percentage relation of National aid
to National tax payments, the District
percentage (65 per cent?, according TO
official figures, compares with those OF
II States, more favored than the DIS
trict, as follows:
Alabama, 98; Arizona, 179; Arkansas,
27O; Georgia, 101; Idaho. 374; Mlssls-
sippi, 1923; Montana. 247; Nebraska, 70;
Nevada, 1874; New Mexico, 662; North
Dakota 625; oregon, ITO; South Caro-
lima, 213; South Dakota. 389; Utan'
| 100 plus; Vermont, 10, and Wyoming,
65l.
Most Of these payments to the States
are made on the $3.50 basiS-that Is,
| oil Tn 10
by State dollars-in precise accordance
with the wise half policy, IN
relation to the Capital, of the law OF
1875 This policy Is 50 sound and bene-
fetal that it is wisely employed today In
the Nations relations to the States;
surely in the light Of this vtndicatl0n
and reaffirmation II will be retained In
spirit and principle at least in the re-
lations of Nation and Capital. where for
nearly half a century 1t has demon
strated its wisdom and benefcence.
Surely the Nation will not today adopt
the policy anew in relation to the States
and discard 1t and the principle Of def
mite proportionate contribution upon
which 1t Is based, in the Nations rela-
ton to the National Capital.
What These Figures Emphasize.
These figures are shown to empha-
size the numerous and large Federal
subsidies to the States, which are not
extended to the District of Columbia,
creating benefits to the States which
are not enjoyed or participated In by
the District of Columbia. The show
ing justifies merely one of several sup
porting parts of Washington's argu
ment that State taxes should be de-
Quoted when tax burdens in the cities
are compared with the tax burden in
the District of Columbia.
These figures, in addition. destroy
the accusation of mendicancy frequent
ly leveled at WashingtonianS by un-
sympathetic members Of Congress, who
point to the lump-sum contribution
as gratuity or dole, unparalleled in
the appropriations of Federal money.
The figures are not published as
criticism Of the States or Of the policy
of State aid, but to point out that
there is nothing to support the charge
of mendicancy against the District,
whose people contribute more in Fed
eral taxes than it collects in Federal
appropriations, as compared with the
condition in those States which re-
ceive more in Federal gratuities than
they paid in Federal taxes; and that 1t
pays more into the National revenue
paid, including the salaries of Repre-
sentatives, Senators and President, than
any one Of ~ (more than half Of the
States.
Small Contribution to d. c.
The point Is sometimes made. in ad
verse criticism of the District, that the
people Of the States and of the cities of
the States contribute in great amount
to the support of Washington, whereas
the people of Washington contribute
nothing to the support of the cities of
the States. OF course. as the above
figures show. the contribution through
their Federal taxes of Washingtonians
to the support of Washington and to
the millions of subsidies given to the
States is not only large absolutely but
Is very large In relation to what many
of the States contribute to the support
of the Federal Capital through their
Federal taxes. Cities, as such, do not
contribute to the support of the Dis
trict. The Citizens Joint Committee
estimates the average per capita con-
tribution by the Nation at large to the
SO, ,500.0 900 lump sum at cents and Z
mills, the average including the Dis
trict, the per capita contribution Of
which to the lump sum Is IL cents and
| mills.
The District, deprived of great in
dustries and taxed only upon a steadily
decreasing fraction of its land area. has
been shown to be comparatively poor in
taxable resources of the kind upon
which municipal taxation Is imposed.
How does it happen, one may inquire,
that the District, which is so poor for
municipal taxation. is apparently so rich
for national taxation?
| Analysis of the figures discloses that
in comparisons between the District and
the 81 States paying less national taxes
than Washington. the demonstration is
not so much that Washington is a
heavy taxpayer upon vast wealth as
that the ~ States are small, in some
respects almost infinitesimal, taxpayers
upon the particular taxable objects Sc
lected for national taxation.
For example, the citizens Of 10
States pay less than cent apiece to-
ward the $9,5O0 900 lump sum: North
Dakota, mills: Mississippi. mills:
Arkansas, mills; South Carolina, 4
mills; South Dakota, mills; Idaho, 6
| mills; Alabama, Z mills; New Mexico,