Evening star., 1939-01-11
Pressure Urged
ToGet Accord
On D. {. Tax
Advisory Committee
Endorsement Sought
By Senator King

Pressure was exerted today on the
Commissioners Advisory Committee
on Taxation to give its unanimous
Endorsement to the proposed new
$12,000,0 900 District revenue program,
the heart of which is combination
2 per cent sales tax and tax on
both earned and unearned income
in excess of $4,000.
Thus far the Advisory Committee
has failed to make a formal report
on the new program due to the op-
position of two of its members
John Locher, president of the Cen
tral Labor Union, and Corp. Counsel
Elwood H. Seal-to the proposed
sales tax. Mr.. Seal and Mr.. Locher
are understood to have insisted on
q graduated income tax in lieu OF
q sales tax.
Complete Agreement Sought.
Efforts to get the Advisory Com
mittee into complete agreement were
made at an executive conference In
the Senate Judiciary Committee
room which was called by Chairman
King of the Senate District Com
mittee. The conference was also
attended by Commissioners Hazen
and McCoach, Representatives Jen-
nings Randolph of West Virginia and
Jack Nichols of Oklahoma, both
Democrats, and the two tax experts
who drafted the new program-Dr.
Chester B. Pond and Colin F. STAN,
counsel for the Joint Congressional
Committee on Internal Revenue
Taxation, which the last Congress
directed to supervise the tax study.
Representative Randolph, who will
head the House District Committee
in the new Congress, had Mr.. Mich
OILS invited because he is slated to
head a special subcommittee to han
die any new tax legislation growing
out of the report.
The primary purpose of the con-
ference was to give DR.. Pond and
Mr.. STAN an opportunity to explain
the program in detail. After eight
pages of the comprehensive report
had been read. 1t is understood, a
debate developed over the sales tax
and graduated income tax.
United Front" Forecast.
Evidence of a controversy over
these two plans was given by both
Senator King and Representative
Randolph after they Jeff the confer
ence. Both, however, predicted that
q complete agreement may be
reached later In the day and that
there would be a united 'front.'
when the new tax program is for
mally submitted to Congress. The
deadline fixed by Congress for SUBJ
mission Of the report is January Is.
Mr.. Randolph issued the following
statement after his appearance at
the conference: THE problem pre-
sented Is most difficult one. We
are faced with the acute need of
providing revenue to carry an in
creased cost of government in the
District of Columbia. To arrive at
equitable taxes Is not an easy task
because of the individual differences
as to the form that can be used.
"The Commissioners Advisory
Committee on Taxation with the
help of experts in setting up new
tax structures have worked hard.
Today's meeting was in the nature
of a clearing house"
Earlier Representative Randolph
indicated he favored the proposed
sales tax plan which he said is oper-
ating successfully in West Virginia
The report of the tax experts
must first be approved by the Joint
Committee on Internal Revenue
Taxation before it is formally sub
mitted to Vice President Garner and
Speaker Bankhead. The deadline
fixed by Congress for filing the
report is January Is. Indications,
however, are that it will be sub
mitted Friday, and made public at
that time.