Evening star., 1934-06-05


ative Blanton OF Texas made a num-
Der of statements which are suscept-
ible Of misinterpretation by members
OF the House and others not as con-
versant as he is with local affairs.
Some of Mr.. Blanton's remarks, to-
gether with statements which amplify
them for the sake of accuracy and
correct understanding of District
matters, follow:
Representative Blanton's state
ment: Mr. Speaker, the American
taxpayers back home are patient
and long suffering. They let
things go along as they have gone
on here because they do not know
about them. They do not know
that the tax rate here for the
Washington people this fiscal year
is only 81 so on the $l00. with the
assessed valuation reduced this
year 100000, 900, and that with no
bonded Indebtedness this District
has a surplus this year Of
$4,000 900"
In the Spring of 1892, when the
District appropriation bill for 1894
was under discussion in the House,
Representative Blanton's reference
then to the tax rate of S1.70 brought
the following statement from Chair
man Buchanan Of the House Ap-
preparations Committee:
"As my colleague has said, the tax
rate is Sl.70 on the full valuation of
real estate. In my home State and in
yours, when property is assessed for
taxation purposes il is assessed at
about 50 per cent Of its fair value and
taxes are paid on that amount. Here
the property is assessed at full value
and the tax rate of S1.70 is paid on
the full value. This is an ex0rbitant
and unreasonable tax on real estate
in this District. There are thOusan nds
of poor people attempting to buy
homes in the District, and for them
to be required to pay $3.48 per S100
in taxes on valuation Of these homes
the way property would be assessed in
other States of the Union is too
much.
Let me call attention further to
the fact that there is "a 100000 in
delinquent taxes on real estate due
the District. On what character of
real estate? The little homes poor
people are trying to buy and pay for.
Wherever possible we should en-
courage people to buy and pay for
homes SO they can have a castle of
their own. Then they will naturally
be proud of their country.
The tax rate in the District Of
Columbia should be reduced from
S1..0 to 81 so on real estate"
Census and other statistics show
that full 100 per cent assessment
valuation commanded by law has been
construed in American cities and States
to mean anywhere from Is and 25 to
S5 and 30 per cent. IL the assessment
standard is low the tax rate must be
high, and if the assessment standard
is high the tax rate may be low to
produce the necessary revenue. Wash
ington is conspicuous among the cities
which raise the necessary local reve-
nue. by high assessment and a low tax
rate.
As for Washington's assessed valu-
alton, including the reduction men,
toned by Mr.. Blanton, figures intro
duced before the Senate committee
by Assessor Richards showed that
Washington's assessed valuation per
capita is about $1,000 above the
average assessed valuation per capita
of FL cities with which it was COM
pared 1t was higher than in any Of
these cities.
As for Mr.. Blanton's statement
that this District has a surplus this
wear of S5000,OOO," the auditors Of
fee says that the estimated surplus
for 1884 is less than S3,000,000, and
that on the basis Of the 1885 appro-
priation bill just signed by the Presi-
dent, this surplus will be eliminated
at the end of the next fiscal year.
The Districts artificial surplus is
created by Congress, the Districts
local legislature, in which the people
of the District are not represented.
Our exclusive legislature fails to ap-
propriate all of the Districts tax reve-
nues to meet adequately even urgent
municipal needs. Our surplus repre-
seuts an accumulation of unmet mu
nicipal needs. and failure of our
legislature to meet these needs. To
prevent a surplus our legislature has
only to tax less or to appropriate
more.
Is it fair for our legislature to tax
us heavily; then refuse to appropriate
all of the tax revenue to meet mu
nicipaI needs; and then to reprOach
and punish us for the existence of this
unused injury working surplus?
Representative Blanton's state
ment: They do not know that
the gasoline tax here is only
cents on the gallon. They do not
know that there is no income tax
and no inheritance tax and that
the license tax on fine limousines
is only 81 per year"
The people of the District do not
other tax. For the past two years
Congress has been unwilling to ap-
propriate all of the money raised
from local gasoline and automobile
taxatio for the purposes (street and
road development, etc., for which the
tax is imposed. thus creating a surplus
unavailable for anything else, despite
the urgent solicitation of local tax
payers and the Commissioners that
this local tax money be spent.
The primary purpose Of the tax on
gasoline is for road making, mainte-
nance and improving. on the ground
that motor owners make more than
ordinary use of roads. In States of
large area, whose smooth road systems
have not been developed, the gasoline
tax is naturally high. In the District.
with it's limited area and its nearly
completed street and hard road sys-
TEN, the tax should be very low. II
is now as high as in Rhode Island,
Connecticut and Montana and is too
high, since it produces superf1uous
unused surplus.
There is no local income tax in the
District nor is there any State income
tax in Texas or in Is other States.
The local income tax has been sug-
gested for the District as a substitute
form of taxation for the Districts