Evening star., 1937-07-04
B|GEL0W PRAISES
LAND TAXFORD.C c.
Senate Committee Acts in
Right Direction, Says
Ohio Democrat.

Representative Herbert s. Bigelow,
Democrat OF Ohio, advocate of the
single tax, issued statement last
night praising the Senate District
Committees new land tax feature Of
the local revenue bill as q step in
the right direction. His statement
read as follows:
THE people OF the District Of Co.
lumbia better think twice, and think
with their lead pencils, before they
rush over to the House to upset the
Senate's plan Of reducing the rate on
buildings and increasing the rate on
land values
IT you will get your s-year-old
schoolboy or girl to do the figuring,
you will flnd that it makes practically
no difference to you on your average
$500 home. whether you pay the
House rate Of SIT thousand on your
house and lot. or the Senates rate
Of SIS a thousand on your house and
$25 thousand on your lot.
Land Value Greatest.
But what difference it will make
to some people! Take the three blocks
bounded by Fourteenth street north
west, Fifteenth street northwest, F.
street northwest, G street northwest
and New York avenue. The Senate
rates will raise the taxes on these
owners over 100000 year, for the
reason that they have nearly twice
as much and value as improvement
value. while your home has three or
four times as much improvement value
as land value.
Take a particular lot in one Of
these blocks. lot IA in square 224. The
land value is $4l5,00O-the improve
ment value 100000 Under the House
rate, this owner would pay ss,4l5.
Under the Senate rates he would paw
$ll SIS"
For further illustration. Bigelow re-
ferred to lot IS in the same square
which, he said, has S24l ,695 Of land
value and no buildings. He said that
under the House rate this lot would
pay $4,l09, while under the Senate
bill it would pay 5000.
Continuing, the statement read:
Now here Is the question: Do you
think it is right to bear down on these
big land owners. or would you rather
pay an income tax or business tax.
IN order that their taxes may be less?
III there Is rush in the House to
wipe out this extra land value tax. you
can guess the reason why The attor-
neys for these big money boys, in these
next few days. will put the heat on
the House members, and how!
House Will Save Big Boys"
1t Is a pretty safe guess that the
House will save the big boys and SUBJ
stitute some sort of tax to hit the
little fellows. But, II this doesn t
happen, II this Senate land value tax
sticks. I'll 90 to Brooklyn and lay 4
wreath OF thankfulness on the graves
Of Henry George and Tom L. johnson.
"Of course, this Senate bill is q long
way short OF what is so unfortunately
called the single tax. The single tax
would sweep away all other taxes and
put per cent tax on all land value
in the District, including Government
land. That would raise the District S
revenue. and, incidentally. it could
come to this, that the Government
would then be paying the statutory
40 per cent OF the expenses.
The only economic effect would
be to cheaper land and make it ac-
cessible on easier terms for homes and
business. Then. Washington, like
Canberra, Australia, would be a capi-
tai living on its own socially created
land value, and there would be no
tax raids on privately created wealth
But that is altogether too logical
and sound to expect in this muddled
world. Instead, l, for one, am very
thankful to the Senate Committee for
this brave step in the right direc-
ton"