Evening star., 1935-08-20
Local Budget Discussion.

Most of the citizens who meet with
the Commissioners tomorrow for tenta-
tive discussion of the 1887 budget will
appear in behalf of specific improve
ments or projects in which they or the
communities and organizations they
represent are chiefly interested. From
their recommendations the Commits
sioners will learn of the backing and
the desirability of certain undertakings
and weigh them against others for in
cluSion in their budget estimates.
Last year a similar meeting of citi-
zenS in preparation of budget compila-
ton developed a discussion of local
taxation, in which the Commissioners
assumed the role of interrogators along
this line: You say you want this i'm
provement. To get it will require an
increase in the local budget, and an
increase in the local budget means
higher taxation. What form of higher
taxation do you prefer? Are you in
favor of gasoline tax increase local
income tax or an increase in the real
estate tax?
Everybody knows that city improve
ment projects mean money; that the
money requires additional revenues
And when the citizen is asked TO specify
the sort Of tax he favors to furnish the
revenue he is apt to recommend the
tax that will be least burdensome to
himself, although it may be burdensome
to somebody else. That is human
nature.
This year the Commissioners have
appointed a committee of municipal
officials to go thoroughly into the local
tax situation and to submit recon-
mendations regarding the merits and
demerits' of the manifold schemes
devised by Office holders since the be-
ginning of time to separate taxpayers
from their money The Commissioners
will doubtless take the opportunity,
during the forthcoming hearings, to
question the prospective victims about
the sort of taxation they would prefer
to see shouldered by themselves or
somebody else.
In this connection, the citizens will
do we'll to remember that while death
and local taxes may be more inevitable
than ever, the matter of increasing local
taxation is not the fundamentally i'm
portant element in the confused prob
lem of local finances. The important
consideration is the fair and equitable
method of dividing costs of Capital City
maintenance and development between
the community and the exclusively con-
trolling National Government.
The amount and the proportion of
local revenues for such purposes have
increased in the past, and with recovery
and the imposition of new liquor taxes
the amount and the proportion are
continuing to increase. The failure of
certain needed Improvements is not
attributable to the inadequacy of local
tax revenues, but results from the con-
tinued diminution, under arbitrary and
capricious methods of arriving at the
lump sum, of the national appropria-
ton in District appropriation bills. AS
local revenues have increased the lump
sum has been decreased. And there
are indications that a program of local
tax-boosting would not result in giving
the city desirable Improvements, but
would merely eliminate or further cur
tail the lump sum. Such action would
make more hopeless than ever adequate
Capital development.
Discussion Of increased local taxation,
therefore, is premature until Congress
has demonstrated its readiness to re-
affirm the wise policy Of jointly
financing, on an equitable basis, the
needs Of the Capital.