Evening star., 1941-08-19
Virginia TO Tax
D. +. Residents
In New Offices
District War Building
Site Urged as Bill
Awaits Signature

Washington residents working In
Federal Office buildings in Arllng-
ton County will have to pay an IN
come tax to Virginia unless the ex-
listing law is amended, Harry K.
Green, Arlington County revenue
commissioner, said today.
This would affect the anticipated
10000 employees of the projected new
War Department Building at the
south end of Memorial Bridge as
we'll as the 5000 persons who will
work in Federal Office building No. 2,
nearing completion at Arlington
Ridge road and Columbia pike.
Although the bill providing Tor
construction of the $35, 900, 900 War
Deparement building in Virginia is
now awaiting presidential action, 1t
was learned today that further con-
sideration of the 350-acre National
Training School grounds on Bladens-
burg road in the District as site
for the structure has been asked in
q letter sent to the Senate District
Committee by Howard D. Woodson,
Public Buildings Administration en-
gineer.
The vast majority of workers in
the two buildings planned in Vlr-
pinia will be Washingtonians, who
must pay the difference between the
Districts / per cent levy and Vlr-
pinia's ~ per cent tax, Revenue
Commissioner Green said in his ex-
planation of the application Of the
State tax.
Returns for Marylanders.
Those employees living in Maryland
and paving that States 2 per cent
tax would not be liable to taxation
In Virginia, he said, but would have
to file returns.
Washington residents who claim
domicile elsewhere would be sub
ject to the entire IL per cent Vlr-
sinia levy, Mr.. Green said, pointing
out that section 38 OF the Virginia
tax code specifies in part that "a
like tax is hereby levied
- upon =. the entire net In
come . from all property owned,
from every business. trade. profess
sion or occupation carried on in this
State by natural persons not resi-
dents of the State"
The Virginia income tax levy is
III per cent up to $4,000; 2la per
cent up to $4,000, and per cent
over 5000.
Mr.. Green said he would like to
see the Virginia law amended to
exempt employees at the two build
ings, explaining that the admins
trative cost of placing thousands OF
non-residents on Virginia tax rolls
probably would amount to more
than the revenue derived from them.
IA Per Cent Live In District.
Unless these people are exempted,
he said, his office will have to be
doubled in size
At present, Mr.. Green said, his
office handles about $4,000 income
tax returns from county residents.
Over 10000 returns would have to
be handled, he pointed out, if en-
ployes at the two buildings are
compelled to file returns. 1t is
estimated that 744 per cent of War
Department employees live in the
District of Columbia.
The Training School site for the
s35, 100000 War Department Build
ing was suggested during Senate
hearings on the appropriation bill
ointy,n f,rn6c for tho
building, but was rejected immedi-
ately when it was said the site is
too hilly to accommodate a single
structure that would cover "a acres.
Subsequently, however, Gilmore
d. Clarke, chairman of the National
Commission of Fine Arts, said that
while it had not been possible to
find a site within the District of
Columbia suitable for single build
ing, he saw mo particular reason
why a street should not separate
some sections of the building"
Woodson Opposes Single Unit.
'I personally would prefer to have
II in separate sections in close juxta-
position Mr.. Clarke declared, mot
necessarily one building"
In his letter to the Senate District
Committee, Mr.. Woodson also advo-
Gated a group of buildings rather
than single unit. One building
of the proportions contemplated, he
asserted, would be an architectural
that would plague the
Nations Capital forever, especially
If constructed in Arlington"
Should the War Department
structure be built as several build
ings, the topography of the Train
ing School land would be an ad-
vantage rather than disadvantage,
Mr.. WoodSon pointed out
Sees Character in Feature.
This land is sufficiently varied in
Its topography to give character to
the perspective of this group of
he said, adding that such
perspective would not be possible on
level land.
During the hearings several in
dividuals and groups voiced the
conviction that the Army building
should be situated within the Dis
trict of Columbia. In this connec-
tion, Senator Overton. Democrat, of
Louisiana said:
"If the War Department can be
kept inside Of the seat of Govern
ment and not put outside, under
the jurisdiction of some State, I
think it is a consummation devoutly
to be wished"
The Army apparently had no OBJ
lection to building within the Dis
trict. The War Departments desire
WAS to coordinate its activities in
one place and felt there was no one
site suitable in the city.
Now Uses II Buildings.
Undersecretary of War Robert p.
Patterson told the Senate the War
Department is 'housed in II differ
ent buildings scattered all over"
emphasizing that "the efficiency of
the department and its work in
Washington would be promoted 20
per cent if it could be housed CEN
trally and together"