Evening star., 1932-05-20

District Government as the years &c
by, without undue burden or any in
crease in the general property tax
The time may come when the District
should in all conscience meet the
total normal budget of the District
| Government"
Special Committees Slogan"
THAT paragraph" said Mr.. Colladay,
lis the slogan of the special House COM
mittee-the committee that said 1t
would be the court and that refused to
have a Joint committee with the Senate.
Their ultimate aim is to make the pri-
vate property in the District, depleted
to the extent of $56,000,000 in three
years through Government land pur-
chases, carry the entire burden of the
Capital of this Nation
One table presented by the citizens
showed that some cities work on basis
of high tax rates with low assessments
in relation to true value. When these
assessments are adjusted, Mr.. Colladay
said. the table Of adjusted tax rates
shows them to be almost the same MS
the cities that start out with high as
sessment.
Recalling that some members of Con-
gress look at Washington's tax rate OF
$1.70 and compare 1t with rates of $3.50
or $3.50 somewhere else, Mr.. Colladay
impressed on the committee that these
nominal tax rates per $1o0 of assessed
value mean nothing for purposes OF
comparison unless they are adjusted in
relation to assessment levels. And when
the adjustment" is made on the basis
of reported or guessed at ratios of as
sessed to full value, the methods fol-
lowed by the Mapes Committee, the re-
suits are wholly misleading.
In emphasizing the fairness of the per
capita method of arriving at compare
tive tax burdens. Mr.. Colladay also told
the committee that the Mapes Commit
tee did not specify the sources of the
figures on which it based its tables. He
said the Mapes Committee had the
services Of q tax expert, whom he
described as man Of standing but that
the Mapes report cited no book refer
ences in connection with its data. The
House Committees tax expert was
George Lord of Detroit.
The Citizens Joint Committee, Mr
Colladay continued, gathered its figures
from the United States census reports.
Il asked the Mapes Committee some
time ago for the confidential report of
their tax expert and I was denied 1t, I"
Senator Bingham interposed.
Il had the same experience a few
months ago." Senator Capper added,
to which Bingham rejoined:
Perhaps we ought to send for Mr..
Lord"
One of the tables presented by the
citizens showed that Of the entire group
of 81 cities of more than $4,000 popu-
lation. SIS are exceeded by Washington
Kendrick Urges Equity.
Senator Kendrick, Democrat of Wy
oming, commenting on the thorough
ness of the tax study presented by the
citizens. expressed the wish that the
perennial discussion over fiscal rela-
tions could be definitely settled on a
basis of complete equity He said what
he had in mind was a basis of taxing
equitably the Federal Governments s
property, with some allowance for the
unusual park requirements in the Capt.
tai City
Mr.. Colladay pointed out that the
report of the Bureau of Efficiency to
the House Committee more than q year
ago offered solution on that basis and
found that it would result in Federal
contribution of $l0,183,3 ,391 at that
time. This would be substantially more
than the contribution actually made of
| SO, SOC, 900 and far more than the House
Is now advocating.
In. commenting further on the Dis
trict assessors claim that purchase of
! property by the Government Is offset by
new improvements erected on private