Evening star., 1948-02-29
HiehwayUsers Group
ChargesD. c. Diverted
10Mi|Iion From Roads

The National Highway Users Con.
ference, which maintains that take,
collected from those who use thu
streets and highways should go intt
highway construction, asserted yes.
terday that $10,231 900 in taxes col.
lected in the District from 1924 tt
1e46 had not been used on highways
The greater part of this sum wa.
collected from the mill per mile bu.
franchise tax. Conference officials
complained this money goes into tht
general fund Of the District In tht
treasury and Is used, for many diff
ferend purposes instead of going tt
the citys highway fund.
Arthur r. Pilkerton, District-audi-
tor, said the receipts from the fran
chise tax are paid into the genera
fund in accordance with law. he
pointed out, however, that the bus
companies pay the cents a gallon
tax on gasoline which goes into the
highway fund.
Question Of Fines.
The Highway Users Conference
which is In the National Press
Building, said traffic fines also come
out of motorists pockets and pos
sibly they should go to the highway
fund. District traffic fines for the
fiscal year 1947 totaled 1888 ,52S. Mr.
Pilkerton said that by law these
fines 60 into the general fund.
The highway fund here gets gaso-
line taxes, operators permit fees
and the annual weight tax on mo-
tor vehicles. The weight and reg
istration taxes for fiscal 1947
amounted to s1,237, 900.
Out Of these taxes are paid the
expenses for highways, for the De-
partment Of Vehicles and Traffic
and up to Is per cent can be paid
for salaries of traffic policemen
when actually engaged in traffic
control.
The conference also complained
that the personal property tax on
automobiles, amounting to s1,489,-
600 for fiscal 1947, went into the
general fund. Assessor Edward A.
Dent said an automobile is personal
property just as much as a piano
or a boat and that all personal
property taxes 60 into the general
fund.
Statistics are Given.
The conference said District
motorists have paid the cost of
highways here in increasing meas
ure but should not pay 100 per cent.
Adjoining property owners and
business should pay part, they de-
clared, because highways existed
before the automobile.
The conference listed these funds
by years as diverted from the use
of District motorists: 1887, s942,-
600; 1888, SCOT 900; 1889, 1920, 900;
1910, $255,00: 194L $268, 900; 1912,
$4,000; 1e43, $33O,0O0; 1914, $751;
600; 1945, 1882 1000, and 1916, $450,-
000 It said the 1947 figures are not
yet available.
In Maryland from 1924 to 1916,
q total of $9,762, 900 was diverted
from highway use, the conference
said, while in Virginia for that
period the figure was $4,000.
National Diversion.
For the 23-year period the ma
tional diversion of highway user
funds to nonhighway purposes
totaled $2,317471 900, the conference
said. ~ 'nGs q -
Ofacials pointed out that demands
to return diverted highway. funds
now are being made in Illinois,
Oregon and South Dakota. Della
ware and North Dakota last year
passed measures to pay back high
way funds previously diverted, they
said. Texas in 1941 and 1912 re-
stored 100000 to the highway
funds which had been diverted in
1882.
The conference said If the money
had been spent on roads as the
funds we're collected, when road
building costs were lower, road
needs today would not be so press