Evening star., 1947-03-01
State Senate
Gets Maryland
Sales Tax Bill
z Per Cent Levy Aimed
At Raising SIS ,000. .00C
Faces Bitter Fight
BY the Assoeio.ed Pres,


Foces Bitter Fight
BY the Assoeiofed Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md, Mar. IA
piece of political dynamite sure to
enliven the last month of the 1947
General Assembly session-an adj
ministration bill calling for 2 per
cent sales tax-was in the files of
the Senate Finance Committee to-
day.
The bulky document was sent to
the Senate yesterday just 5 minutes
before the legislators adjourned for
the week end.
1t would raise an estimated $18,-
100000 of the $25, 5,000,000 in new
revenues needed to run the State
government annually for the next
biennium, an administration spokes-
man said. The additional $1,000, 900
would come from upped personal
and corporate income taxes. '-
The bill provides that purchases
between 8 and so cents be taxed
cent. and places an impost of 2 cents
on those between so cents and 81.
There would be a penny tax on
every so cents or portion thereof
over 81.
Seventeen exemptions are listed
IN the 28-page document, ranging
from sales of products OF farm
to food offered for sale for con-
sumption on premises.
Merchants Would Collect.
Merchants would collect the taxes
and be allowed to keep per cent
OF the collections for their efforts,
Some members of both houses
have been outspoken in their op-
position to sales tax and are sure
to light the bill, but many opponents
have predicted the measure would
be enacted into law.
The Senate disposed of another
tax measure just before it received
the sales tax proposal. It passed
by a 20-5 vote and sent along to
the House a bill which would levy
a fiat SIS annual tax and registra-
ton fee on automobiles of under
$500 pounds and $23 on those above
that weight.
Ten Senators introduced q coun-
terpropoSal to a bill which would
provide for the leasing of oyster
beds to private interests, their meas
ure would ban private leasing. The
bloc also submitted a bill which
would require that all money ap-
propriated for oyster propagation
be spent for that purpose.
Pollution Bill Set Aside.
The House members, apparently
in a hurry to get away for the
week end, set aside until next Tues
day bill to create a State Water
Pollution Commission. 1t was the
only major proposal on the final
passage calendar yesterday.
The Senate held over a measure
which would allow banks to close
on Saturdays in all but eight coun-
ties until the Legislature recon-
venes Monday night.
Sponsors of the bill to ban oyster
leases were Senators Goldstein,
Democrat, Of Calvert; Shallcross,
EDemocrat. of Kent; Bailey, Repub-
lican, Of st. Marys; Monroe, Repub-
lican, of Charles; Phoebus, Republic
can, of Somerset; Travers, Demo-
crat, of Wicomico; George, Demo-
crat, of Queen Annes; Balch, DEM
ocrat, of Talbot; Dulin, Democrat,
OF Anne Arundel, and McAllister,
Democrat, Of Dorchester.
The bill. one Of the shortest to be
introduced this session, says simply
1T shall be unlawful for the Depart
ment of Tidewater Fisheries or any
other agency of the State to lease
any natural oyster rock or bar in
the Chesapeake Bay"
Reseeding Efforts Cited.
The Tidewater Fisheries Commits
sion, in report to the Legislature
last week, and it's efforts in seeding
and rehabilitating the oyster bars
had failed, principally due to lack
OF sufficient funds.
| The commission urged the leases
SO that private capital could be used
IN restoring the rocks.
Watermen, here for hearings on
other seafood matters, vigorously
assailed the commission program,
and called for passage of bill
abolishing the three-man board and
setting up a new Chesapeake Bay
Authority.
The 10 Senators also sponsored
a companion measure which would
compel proposed new Bay author
ity to expend for planting of oyster
shells or seed oysters "and for no
other purpose" all funds appropri-
ated in the budget for oyster propa-
cation, and all monies required to
be credited by the controller of the
| OYSTER find