Evening star., 1953-12-03
Shifting Of Tax
.Dead|ine Urged
For Arlington
July Alternative
Favored to Ease
Christmas Burden

Christmas Burden
Part Of the tax burden which
hits Virginians just before
Christmas each year would be
relieved for Arlington citizens
under a program adopted by the
county'S delegation to the Gen.
eral Assembly.
Delegate j. Maynard Magruder
disclosed the proposal last night
when the areas State legislators
spoke before the Harrington
Civic Association.
Virginia's State imposed in
come and poll taxes and locally
imposed real estate and personal
property taxes all come due by
Saturday. This situation, with
the deadline always coming in
early December, has long been a
sore spot with taxpayers getting
ready for the Christmas season.
Fayors July Deadlihe.
In outlining legislative propos-
ais which the Arlington delega-
ton will offer when the General
Assembly convenes January 13,
Mr.. Magruder said it has been
suggested that the real estate. and
personal property tax headlines
be moved back to July so that
the entire burden would not
come Just before the holiday
season.
"We are in favor of that" he
said.
Such a proposal last was ad-
vanced in 1912, also by the
Arlington delegation, but it
failed.
Mr.. Magruder did not say an
attempt would be made to
change the due date of the
State taxes, principally those on
income. However, he said an
effort may be made to draft
legislation permitting the pay
ment of income taxes on the
installment plan.
To Seek Another Judge.
He also took the wraps of
another proposal to obtain
third judge for the Circuit Court
in Arlington which, due to in
creased docket loads. obtained
its second judge in 1850.
Mr.. Magruder said the courts
docket today is so per cent
heavier than it was in 1850.
He said the delegation would
renew attempts made last year
to assure Federal employees the
right to serve on local governing
bodies.
Absentee Voter Problem.
Discussing legislative prob
lens, Arlington State Senator
Charles r. Fenwick declared the
Virginia Advisory Legislative
Council had not come up with
the proper answers in a recent
report with recommendations on
changing the absentee voters
law.
Citing voting scandals recently
disclosed in Russell County
where the Federal Bureau Of IN
vestigation has taken hand,
MIR. Fenwick said the only way
to solve voting frauds sis to take
the absentee ballot away from
the locality and place it at q
State level"
BY this, he said, the practice
of having such ballots applied
for and returned locally. leaves
the way open for corruption.
IT don't think many new
people in Virginia realize the
practices that go on in some
parts of the State" Mr.. Fenwick
said. Consider a locality where
there are 5000 registered voters
and about 5000 of them were
voted by absentee ballot"
Among remedies he suggested
was a procedure where an alb
sentee voter would submit his
application to a local precinct
registrar for certification Of
eligibility The application would
be sent to the State Board Of
Elections, which would mail out
the ballot, have it returned and
canvass all such voters on elec-
ton day.
Cites Need for Alcoholics.
Included in other problems,
he said was the need for expand
ing the States program of treat
ment of alcoholics.
II feel that as long as Vir-
ginia is in the liquor business
and is making tremendous
profits through it's ABC stores"
he said, "the Legislature will ear
mark some of these profits to
meet the problem"
Delegate ELECT Harrison Mann
of Arlington, reviewed impress
sions received by a group Of
legislators who spent two weeks
recently inspecting 80 State sup
ported institutions. After de-
scribing progress made in many
fields, particularly in penal in
stitutions, and the needs in
others like mental hospitals, he
summed UP by saying:
II paid my income taxes to-
day for the first time-without
cussing."
Delegate-elect Kathryn Stone
reviewed a plan she advanced
during her recent campaign for
validating bond issues. The idea
is to forestall unnecessary de-
lays in publicly approved bonds
due to prolonged lawsuits.
| State Senator John A. K.
Donovan of Fairfax and Alex
/ andria, explained how legisla-
ton is enacted.
/