Evening star., 1932-03-16

| permits. title fees and Borland law
assessments.
"Hovever. the motor fuel tax Of
cents a gallon Gas proposed In House
btID would distribute more equ1tably the
ma ior portion Of the tax burden charge
able to motor vehicles, provided 1t Is
s,1pplemented by nominal registration
fees plus surplus weight taxes Tor those
classes of vehicles that cause the great
est damage to the highways, the weight
taxes to be so graduated as 70 encourage
the use of other than the most deStrIc-
tive types of equipment.
After devoting several pages 70
technical discourse on the relative erect
of vehicles of different size and tire
equipment on road surfaces, the bureau
approaches its substitute plan OF regis
tration weight tax, with the following
discussion:
with gross weight as the basis, the
scale of registration taxes should be pro-
portionate to the street cost that the
operation of vehicles of different weights
entails. It Is known that as the gross
weight Of vehicle increases, Its de-
structive effects on highways not de-
signed to carry that weight Increase,
but the available information Is not
sufficiently exact to use In hxlng the
LAKES on LIle NCllAllCo. AsAoANAAA
methods of transporta ton demand that
highways be constructed to Withstand
the onslaughts of heavy vehicular trat-
fic. 1t seems to be the consensus OF
opinion that the upper Limit OF per-
missible weight for commercial vehicles
should not be less than 10 tons gross
weight. Obviously, a lotion highway
will not suffer from 3-ton static load,
nor will it be measurably impaired by
the impact OF a 3-ton load II carried on
pneumatic tires, or 2-ton load on solid
tires complying with regulations as to
thickness and width. The only remain
ing factor to be considered is surface
wear on other than concrete roads. 1t
Is believed that the proposed motor
fuel tax imposes an equitable and ade-
quate charge for surface wear, as well
as such slight impact damage as may be
occasioned by the lighter weight vehicles
that are propelled by motor fuel
Registration Fee Proposed.
1T Is, therefore, recommended that
for the District of Columbia for all
pneumatic tired vehicles of this type
having a gross weight of 5000 pounds
or less, and for all solid-tired vehicles
Of this type having a gross weight of
1000 pounds or less, a registration fee
ol 81 DC enlarged 10 cover LIle COSCS OI
registration, and that no weight tax be
imposed.
1T is recommended that for all solid
tired vehicles propelled by motor fuel
and Weighing In excess Of 1000 pounds
and not in excess of 10000 pounds
gross, the registration taxes be deter
mined in accordance with the formula:
The formula worked out by the bu-
reau for its substitute plan of regis
tration tax contemplates "a fixed con-
slant Of one dollar to cover the cost
OF registration" plus another fixed
constant "in such amount as may be
needed to assess as a surtax on such
solid-tired vehicles, the amount ap-
portioned to them on account Of the
special damage they do to the streets
and highways and the added construc-
ton costs incurred to provide the
heavier types of road construction"
Estimating that the average tax per
year on gasoline passenger cars Is Sl8,
the bureau recommends that. in apply
ing It's formula to solid-tired electric
passenger vehicles, the sum of S18 be
added TO the basic 81 registration fee
Estimating that the average CONNER
clal vehicle uses approximately three
times as much motor fuel as a passen-
ger vehicle, 1t Is recommended that
in applying the bureaus formula to
solid tired electric commercial vehicles,
the sum of S54 be added to the basic
81 registration fee.