Evening star., 1933-01-19
GAS TAX INCREASE
EXPECTED TO Be
BLOCKED BY 0DD|E
Prospects of District Meas.
ure Dimmed by Nevada
Senator.
D. C. LEVIES
OPPOSED BY WESTERNER
Considers Federal Governments
Treatment of Washington
Unfair.

With the Senate District Committee
ready to report favorably on a proposal
for cent-a-gallon increase in the
gasoline tax for the District of Columbia.
prospects of enactment of the measure
at this session were dimmed by an
nouncement today that Senator Tasker
L. Oddie, Republican, of Nevada, may
block its passage.
Since the proposal is expected to come
before the Senate under the unanimous
consent calendar, the objection of one
Senator would postpone, it is pointed
out.
Senator Oddie's opposition to the
1evying of additional taxes on District
motorists was made known today by the
District of Columbia division of the
American Automobile Association in a
statement quoting the Nevada legislator.
Calls Treatment Unfair.
For years." said the Senator, Il
have considered the Federal Govern
ments treatment of the District of Co.
lumbia as unfair. Now. when scores of
proposals for reducing motor vehicle
fees, and in some instances gas tax
rates. are being brought before the
Legislatures in many sections. it is pro-
posed to increase the tax rate here in
the District of Columbia.
The contention is brought forth that
the District gas tax should be fixed
more in line with the Virginia Scent
and the Maryland Accent levieS, be-
tho rot horo tol iv,
loss of business in the adjoining States
Here is new theory in taxation.
Both Virginia and Maryland have
large highway systems to maintain. The
District of Columbia is virtually large
municipality and the only basis for a
gasoline tax is for motorists to pay a
fair share of street costs. Our Govern
ment building program, with the neces-
sity for wider boulevards than would
ordinarily be needed for traffic, and the
extensive use of these thoroughfares by
Federal-owned and tax-free vehicles
indicate that the S1600000 now COL
lected annually from the 2-cent gaso-
line tax is a fair share of the cost of
building Streets
The increase in the automobile gaso-
line tax was the only feature of the
Mapes program acted on by the Senate
District Committee at its executive ses-
sion yesterday.
The Mapes gas tax bill, passed by
the House at the last session, sought
to raise the rate f-om to cents
a gallon. The Sen group modified
the rate to 3 cents Q made two other
amendments. One I'd transfer the
cost OF repairs and provements to
park roads from gen IL revenues to
the gas tax fund and he other would
fpnllirp cOliro tn flo hOy,d
to insure payment of the tax.
Increase of SI,I25,000.
The 1-cent increase in the gas tax
will amount to an increased tax levy
on motorists of approximately 81 l,125 900
year, it was estimated today. District
officials gave the committee figures
showing that for II months of the cal
endar year 1882 the, 2-cent gas tax
produced S2,061 $40. 1t also was esti-
mated that, for the same II months
of last year a Scent tax would have
produced s3,092949 The difference be-
tween these two figures is S1,030979
For complete year the increase would
be s1,125,OOO.
The other three tax bills in the Mapes
program, on which the Senate COM
mittee took no action, seek to establish
a local income tax in lieu of the in
tangible personal tax; local estate
tax and tax on automobiles by weight
Senator Capper said there was some
discussion of the estate and income tax
measures. but the members present felt
these bills were controversial and prob
ably could not be acted on by the Sen
ate. even if they were reported 1t is
understood there was not much dis
cussion of the automobile weight tax.
May Make AGENT Total.
The Federal Government applied a
1-cent Federal tax to gasoline through
out the country for the current fiscal
year to help balance the Federal
budget, and if this tax should be re-
enacted for the next fiscal year the
passage of the amended Mapes bill
would make a total gas tax of cents
In the District next year.
The Senate amendment to have park
road work met out of the gas tax fund,
instead of general revenues, modified
from the form in which it was orig
inally suggested last year. AS rewrit-
ten, it provides that street, road and
park road work to be done out of the
gas tax fund shall be based on esti-
mates to be approved by the District
Commissioners.