Evening star., 1938-02-24
D. c. SALES TAX
PLEA|S PRESSED
House Subcommittee Told
Proposal Is Favored by
Housewives.
By JAMES F.. CHINN.


Business men. augmented by the
District Federation of Women's Clubs.
today continued to lombard the Fiscal
Affairs Subcommittee of the House
District Committee with pleas for
adoption of a sales tax despite a pre-
vious warning by Chairman Nichols
that advocates of this form Of taxation
were wasting their time"
Mrs. E. Morgan Pryse, representing
the Women's clubs. told the subcom-
mittee most of the housewives of
Washington favor a sales tax which
would exempt drugs foods and mex
pensive clothing, repeal of the un-
popular business privilege tax on gross
receipts and a return to the former
$50 real estate tax rate.
A sales tax also was urged by
Julian Brylawski. representing the
Municipal Council of District Affairs.
In addition, he proposed a 81 so real
estate tax rate. with the authority for
the Commissioners to raise it if neces-
sary to meet q budget deficit. and said
that If the business privilege tax is
continued, the rate should be reduced
to one-f1fth of per cent.
Recommend Income Tax,
Several witnesses, however, "vigor-
ously opposed sales tax and recon-
mended an income tax with a 2radu-
ated scale of rates. These included
Samuel LipkoWitz OF the National
Labor Relations Board. local of the
United Federal Workers of America.
and Arnold Tolles Of the U. F.. w A.
District Council.
Representative Dirksen, Republican.
OF Illinois, sales tax opponent on the
subcommittee. challenged Mrs. Pryse's
statement that most of the housewives
OF the District favored that form of
taxation in lieu of other proposed
forms.
I don't agree that your clubs rep
resent the sentiment of the housewives
OF the District he declared. They
represent selective sentiment-the
sentiment of the members of YOUR 30
affiliated clubs"
Mrs. Pryse argued. however. that
most people are not interested in the
tax problem and that the only vay
the subcommittee can get the views
OF the residents of the District is
through organized groups.
Visited Is States.
She explained she had visited in
Is OF the more than 20 States which
have sales tax, and said she had
heard no objection to it, except home
complaint over the nuisance" involved
in handling tokens.
You were just casual visitor" re-
marked Mr.. Dirksen. You should
come around some time when we
really discuss it."
Mrs. Pryse declared, IF Congress
would do the fair thing toward the
District there would not be any neces-
sity for sales tax
That statement stirred Chairman
Nichols. "The Government at the
present moment" he declared, 'is pay
ing all it's entitled to pay toward Dis
trict expenses"
AS Mrs. Pryse prepared to leave the
witness stand, she remarked:
I knew it was useless when I came
here, but had my instructions"
Reflection on Subcommittee.
1 don't like to hear those state
ments made" said Mr.. Dirksen. ITS
a rejection on the tolerance of the
subcommittee. We can't be bothered
with fancy and fiction. We want areu-
ments based on fact. Personally I'm
not ready to throw the sales tax out of
the window"
Later, however, Mr.. Dirksen indi-
Gated his disapproval of the sales tax
In a discussion with MIR. Brylavski
pointing out it is one form of taxation
that can be passed on with "the
greatest facility and ease" s
In my State We solved the problem
very expeditiously," he said. I'VE start
with the diaper in which we come, into
(SeA TAXES por. A