Evening star., 1935-03-17
ANTE-SALES TAX
GROUP GROWING
Sasscer and Prescott to
Offer Two Substitute
Proposals.
BY JACK ALLEN,
staf CORRESPONDENT Of The Star.

Staff Correspondent Of The Star.
ANNAPOLIS, Nd, March l6.-
Possibility Of the enactment Of a
blanket sales tax by the State Assem-
bly to raise the funds needed to meet
Maryland's relief requirements ap-
peared remote tonight as six new
county delegations allied with the
"border-line bloc" that has formed
to resist the passage of such levy
in the House.
ACQUISITION of the new delegations
gives the bloc a total OF IS votes
five more than the number required
to defeat the 2 per cent sales levy
bill which has been introduced in
that branch Of the Legislature by
Speaker Emanuel Gorflne.
It was also learned tonight that
two new plans Of relief taxation
which Senators Lansdale G. Sasscer
of Prince Georges County and Sen
ator Stedman Prescott of Montgom-
cry County have evolved in an effort
to have one or the other substituted
for the sales tax will be presented
to the legislators Monday night, when
they return from the week end re-
cess.
Utility Bill Tax Proposed.
One plan calls for a per cent
tax on bills Of public utility patrons.
including electric light and power
and gas consumers and telephone
company subscribers, while they
would not disclose the other, except
to say it includes a combination Of
three special taxes.
The first plan would net the State
approximately s3,500,000 in new rev.
enue, which has been set as the max
imum amount Maryland can raise as
It's share of the welfare program for
any one year.
Senator SaSScer, president of the
Senate, who has been working in con-
junction with Senator Prescott for
the last two weeks, studying every
possible source from which revenue
can be derived, declared that they
will continue to vigorously oppose
the sales tax.
1.-The two plans which we have
prepared" he stated, would not work
any great hardship upon any indus
try, any one source or one section Of
the State, and we will present them
to the Senate Finance Committee. or
II necessary upon the floor of the
Senate.
"In our opinion the sales tax would
work great hardship upon the citi-
zens of our counties, be ruinouS to a
number Of small businesses and
greatly depreciate the value Of real
property. We intend to do everything
humanity possible to substitute our
plan for the sales tax, so that relief
needs can be provided for without
enacting this hardship on our particu-
lar counties"
The border line bloc" formed here
yesterday by the delegations from II
counties Immediately contiguous to
the District of Columbia. Pennsyl-
vania, Delaware and Virginia. which
have no sales tax, now includes 18
county groups.
Heading the bloc are Prince Georges
and Montgomery Counties, while
their allies are the delegations from
Frederick. St. Marys, Washington.
Howard, Charles, Calvert, Cecil. Har-
ford, Kent, Worcester, Somerset, Tai
bot. Wicomico, Caroline, Dorchester
and Queen Anne.
Delegate John S. White Of Prince
Georges. chairman of the group, said
that Baltimore City, Allegany, Carroll,
Garrett and Baltimore Counties,
which are not in the region which
would be affected by such a levy,
have not promised their united sup
port, but said that several scattered
votes might be gained from Balti-
more City.
Bloc to Meet Tomorrow.
White has called a meeting of the
bloc for the House chamber Monday
afternoon at o'clock to consider the
advisibility of preparing substitute
legislation that would raise the funds
needed by the State for its relief
program.
The original bloc committed itself
to combination of special taxes on
public utility bills. beer in barrels, in
comes over $4,000, corporation in
comes. cosmetics, patent medicines
and perfumes.
I'VE feel" White declared, "that
under no circumstances can 1t be con-
cluded at this time that the sales tax
is the only tax to which we can turn.
We have had only limited time in
which to investigate the sources of
revenue and I am positive other plans
can be worked out"
A committee headed by White and
including Delegates Ruth E. Shoe
maker Of Montgomery County and
DR.. Charles v. Hayden of st. Marys
appeared before the House Ways and
Means Committee today and pre-
sented the substitute relief tax pro-
gram when that group took up
la;