The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-07-01
Report Cites
Need for Tax
on War Plants

Harold Lindsey, chairman of
the Macomb county defense
committee, and Sherwood j..
Bennett, secretary Of the defense
committee, are today putting the
finishing touches on a report
which will be sent TO the Com
mittee on Public Lands i'm Wash
ington. on the effect of tax ex-
empt federal owned property in
MacOmb county.
Besides this tentative written
report, which has been drawn
up by Lindsey and Bennett, a
visual report will be included
with pictures showing conditions
resulting from limited school ia
cilities. road and drainage prob
lens, and the heavy traffic due
10 the influx OF war workers in
the county.
The Defense Plant Corpora
ton is owned and financed by
the Federal government, and the
Army and Navy are financed by
the same government. Why,
then, should a plant owned by
one branch of the government be
exempt from real property tax
while another branch pays the
tax. when the same local govern
mental services are furnished in
each case" the report asks.
A plan for payment of serv-
ice charge in lieu Of taxes on
these plants TO equalize the bur-
den is advocated in the report,
which is all-inclusive, extremely
well written and well presented.
In comprehensive list of
some Of the results of the loca-
ton of the large defense plants
in this area the following prob
lens are discussed: The rapid in-
fluX Of population, causing the
increase in passenger car and bus
travel, and the hauling of ma
terials and supplies by heavy
trucks over the inadequate high
way system. These have already
resulted in the additional OK
penditure for schools. police de-
partment, fire protection, and the
extension Of sewerage facilities,
and also additional problems
that will still have to be faced,
such as the maintenance and the
reconstruction of the highways
that have already been ruined
and the great necessity Of addi-
tional highway facilities, the
ever increasing problem of po-
licing the area, the danger TO the
health of SO many people con-
gregating in an area that does
not have all the proper public
utility facilities.
The report declares that these
things are too great a burden
for the local taxpayers to stand,
and states as the only measure of
relief that the Federal govern
mnt should pay its just share for
the cost of these services. be-
caHse OF the taX-exempt property
within our boundaries.
The crux OF the situation is
the location in Warren, the
southernmost township in Ma
comb county, of two large de-
Tense plants, the Chrysler Tank
plant and the Hudson Naval ar
senal. That these plants are eX-
empt from both real and person
al property tax is stressed in the
report to be sent TO Washington,
emphasizing that fact that they
arc unlike plants OF similar ma
lure in adjoining counties that
are owned by the Defense Plant
Corporation and thus pay tax on
real property. One of the Ma
comb county plants is owned di-
Iectly by the Army but is oper-
ated by the Chrysler Motor
Company. and the other is own
cd by the Navy and operated by
the Hudson Motor Company.
The report will be sent to
Washington within the next ten
days, Lindsey said today.