Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-04-15
COLLINS TAX BILLS.
MAY Be SCRAPPED|
BY HOUSE GROUP
Subcommittee May Write
Own Program to Raise
District Funds.
DIRKSEN AND NICHOLS
LEADERS IN PROPOSAL
Hearings to Start Tuesday, With
District Officials First
to Be Called.
BY JAMES E. CHINN.


The special Tax Subcommittee OF
the House District Committee gave in
dications today it may scrap the
Collins tax bills and write it's own
program of taxation designed to raise
the s6,00O,0oO needed to offset the
anticipated revenue deficit in the
coming fiscal year.
The Collins bills, it has been esti-
mated, would yield about $4,000, 900
in additional revenue Chairman Col
Inns of the House Subcommittee on
District Appropriations has announced,
however, he would not press for action
on all Of them at the present session
OF Congress. He said he wanted the
Tax Subcommittee to select only those
that would produce the needed
$600O,OO0.
Two members of the Tax Subcom-
mittee-Representative Nichols, DEM
ocrat, of Oklahoma and Dirksen, Re-
publican, of Enthusiastically have
taken the position that the impending
study of the financial and tax struc-
ture of the District may show the need
of developing a program entirely
different from the one contemplated
by the Collins bills. The Collins
measures, however, will form the
nucleus of the subcommittee study,
and will be given serious consideration
Hearing Scheduled.
In fact, the subcommittee has ar
ranged to begin public hearings on
the Collins bills Tuesday at 10 am.
Later, the subcommittee will broaden
the scope of its investigation to include
the existing tax assessing and tax
collecting machinery, as well as pro-
posals for reorganization of the adj
ministrative set-up of the municipal
governmental with a view to in
creasing efficiency and bringing about
possible economies.
Plans for the hearings on the Collins
bills were mapped out at the initial
meeting of the subcommittee late yes
terday-a meeting that had twice be-
fore been scheduled and postponed.
The Commissioners and group of
District department heads will be
called as the first witnesses. These
include Maj. Daniel J. Donovan,
auditor and budget officer; Tax As
SCISSOR Fred Allen, and Traffic Director
William A. Van Duzer.
The subcommittee will start its far
reaching investigation without the aid
of an adviser, since it instructed the
chairman, Representative Kennedy,
Democrat, of Maryland to end his
negotiations for an appropriation of
$4,000 for that purpose. Kennedy
wanted to employ William A. Roberts,
former peoples counsel, to assist the
subcommittee.
Dirksen Takes Lead.
Dirksen was the first member of
the subcommittee to suggest that it
might prepare its own taxation pro-
gram. And Nichols followed with the
warning that the subcommittee may
write some tax bills itself"
Dirksen pointed out that 100000
Is the amount needed to meet the
prospective deficit, and declared the
subcommittee aim should be ito raise
that amount and no more"
in raising that amount" he said,
1--WE want to develop a fair tax base.
Manifestly we can't develop tax
base that won't be opposed by some
group. But we've got to get the
money and get it as equitably as pos
sible. The base we lay down, be-
lieve, will last long time. In view
of that, We should develop a good
one-one that may serve as model
for the States"
Dirksen also suggested that the
subcommittee probe into the real es-
tate tax rate and the assessment and
tax collection machinery, which he
branded as archaic as Noah'S Ark"
"Real estate is not a sacred cow" he
declared. 1--WE should examine the
real estate tax to see whether i'm
provements can be made in that"
In "overruling" the tax collecting
and assessing machinery, Dirksen said,
the subcommittee should take steps
to prevent professional tax title buy
erS from getting possession of the tax
certificates to the cream of proper
fies on which taxes are delinolent