Evening star., 1941-05-12

initiated, written and partially ap-
proved by the Congress of the
United States, not the District of
Columbia or any other agency, the
wishes of the President have been
accomplished.
LAS to its administration, when
and if it is approved and put into
effect, there still remains the COM
mands of this House to adjust what
capital improvements the funds
shall be spent for, through the ac-
ton of this full body in approval of
the District appropriation bill.
Need for Higher Taxes.
"As I near the close of my presen-
tation, I|wish to bring to your at
tention some additional facts. AL
though I have assured you def
nitely that this measure is to no
extent tax bill, 7 am not deaf to
the persistent assertions that are
continually made when the House
clothed in its majesty proceeds to
pass upon the financial problems OF
the District of Columbia.
And I wish here to state un-
equivocably that the tax structure
that has been imposed upon the
District of Columbia in the past
years by the Congress of the United
States is not now satisfactory one.
The taxes levied in the District must
be revised.
The revenue derived from them
is not sufficient to meet the cost of
running the municipality. They
must be increased to meet city's ex-
pansion of which I have spoken and
which has been recognized by the
President of the United States.
"At the present moment, there is
pending before the District of
Columbia Committee number of
proposals to increase the tax rate on
several sources of revenue. I give
you my personal and official assur-
ance that these tax matters must
and will be disposed of regardless of
the outcome of the vote on the legiS-
ldJlOn DeIOI6 US tOQdy.
Pause a moment and reflect that
under this bill we are requiring the
officers of the District government
to use the money resulting from this
measure for Capital Improvements
and Capital improvements alone.
Not one cent is to be used for main
tanning any branch of the local
government or of keeping up these
Capital Improvements after we have
nordered them built.
Will Build Up City.
TN the past, the sums appro-
priated out of the Federal Treasury
for the upkeep of the Nations Capt.
tai have gone into the general fund
to be used for either maintenance or
improvements alike. Under this
bill, we will definitely limit the use
of this Federal money to building up
this Federal city, not maintaining it.
And may 1 give you few con-
crete facts about the origin OF the
money which We will so direct to be
used. From time to time, it has
been said on this floor and in other
public and private gatherings that
the Federal payment to the District
Government is gratuitous offering
from the taxpayers of the 48 States
to the residents of the District of
Columbia.
Let lis look at the facts. The
Federal payment does come out of
the Federal Treasury where 1t has
been collected by Federal taxes. In
1910 there was collected from the
residents of the District of Columbia
in Federal taxes a total of $40, 1922
764 That money went into the Fed
eral Treasury just as did the Federal
tax money from the 48 States. When
the Federal payment is transferred
from the Federal Treasury to the
account of the District, it will come
from the Federal taxes collected
from the District residents as well as
from the residents of the 48 States.
In this respect, I would like to
call your attention to the further
fact that this $20,192, ,784 collected
in Federal taxes from the District is
higher than the Federal taxes COL
lected in each of 81 of the 48 States
and is as great as the combined
payments of seven States.
Therefore, it follows as math-
ematical certainty that when the
country as a whole pays its share
of the upkeep of the Nations Capital