Evening star., 1948-02-05

Bill Would Give
City Tax Rights
Arlington
County's Delegation
To Offer Measure
In House Today
By Alex R. Preston
Sor Stoff CORRESPONDENT

RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 5.-Arling-
ton would become the first Virginia
county to obtain taxing powers now
held exclusively by cities, under leg
islation to be introduced today in
the General Assembly.
The first of d series of bills af-
fecting the county, it will be spon-
sored by Delegates j. Maynard Ma
gruder and George Damn and Sen
ator Charles r. Fenwick. The
measure will be introduced in the
House.
If enacted, the bill would leave
unchanged all benefits Arlington
now receives, such as the distribu-
ton of State funds to counties. AT
the same time, 1t would extend to
the county taxing powers which
only the cities now have.
Although the plan is in line with
a suggestion from the Arlington
Chamber of Commerce Board of Di-
rectors, the County Board, from
whom most such legislative pro-
posals customarily come, did not act
on the suggestion at its meeting last
Saturday,
Details Outlined.
The board, however, left the
question of extending the taxing
power to the discretion" of the
legislators here.
The bill to be introduced would
not make imposition Of extra taxes
chiefly on businesses and for auto
mobile tags, mandatory.
Members of the county delegation
said they feel there is too much
of a tax load now being borne
by real estate and that it would
be harmful to increase this burden
The additional taxing powers would
provide the County Board with a
means of broadening the tax base
to meet the needs Of a community
that, although a county, has the
problems of most cities, they ex-
planned.
Measure Is Quoted.
The measure would authorize the
County Board ito levy and provide
for the assessment and collection
of county license taxes on busi-
nesses, trades, professions, occupa-
tions and callings and upon the
persons, firms and corporations en-
gagged therein within the county,
whether any license tax be imposed
thereon by the State or not"
Only limitation on such powers
would be those set by general law.
A companion bill would authorize
the board to require special auto
mobile license tags. Like the busl-
ness license taxes, automobile tags
now are issued only by Virginia
cities.
Another measure would extend
authority 4to impose license fees on
businesses out Of the county doing
business IN Arlington. Aministra-
ton of the new tax setup would
be placed under the supervision OF
Commissioner, of Revenue Harry K,
Green, except for the automobile
licensing activity.
The county government would be
required to furnish the commits
sioner such additional employees and
office space as he required to carry
out the program. The automobile
licensing program would be carried
out by separate department of the
county government.
A bill that may vitally affect
Arlington's future plans to incor-
porate as city has been introduced
by Senator Robert F. Baldwin, jr.
of Norfolk to increase the States
read appropriation to cities from
$4,000 to $4,000 a mile each year
This measure has been opposed
by Highway Commissioner James A
Anderson and is pending before the
Senate Roads and Internal Naviga-
ton Committee. of which Senator
Fenwick Is a member.