Evening star., 1953-09-06
New Effort Due
To Kill District S
Household Tax
Commissioners to Try
Again Next Session
To Modify Levy
By John W. Stepp

The District Commissioners
will try once more-and hard
to get the personal property tax
on household goods killed by
Congress during the next session.
Legislation to amend the ex-
listing law so the tax remains only
on business property has been
pending on Capitol Hill since
early last session. The measure
passed the House. but never
moved out of the Senate District
Committee.
The city heads, armed with
their own convictions, vast pub
lie support and the eloquent
figures of the Tax Assessors Of
flee, propose to make every ef-
fort to get successful vote on
the bill. They have failed twice
since 1850 to do this, owing to
apathy or antagonism on the
part of individual legislators.
Meanwhile, the tax continues
to cause all the same old head
aches.
Typical Complaint.
Commissioner Renah F.. Cana
lier reported a typical complaint
that came direct to him two
days ago.
It involved a 70-year -old man,
a District taxpayer for nearly
so years. He told the Commis-
sioner he and his wife have had
virtually the same furniture
since they got married so years
ago. Among their possessions
is a watch which their son pre-
sented his mother Is years ago,
and which has not been running
for IL years.
$50 here is this old furniture
and the watch that won't run"
the old gentleman related. IT
keep declaring them on my re-
turn and even this year had to
pay So tax on them"
Then, he added plaintively,
"PleaSe, Mr.. Commissioner, can't
you get rid Of this thing?"
80 Per Cent From Business.
Assessor James L. Martin says
the complaints his Office gets
are considerably more violent
than that of Mr.. Camalier's old
gentleman.
"They are at their bitterest
when we get them" Mr.. Martin
reports. 1--WE also get lectures
on the evils of the tax"
And this. he points out, from
the class that produces the least
revenue.
In fiscal 1858 the property
tax brought $8.1 million, about
100000 more than the previous
year. But of that total, more
than 80 percent stemmed from
business property sources, the
balance on household goods.
Yet the Assessors Office spends
as much time processing the
relatively non-productive house.
hold property returns as it does
on the business returns. Mr..
Martin estimates that if the de-
sired tax law amendment goes
through, the number of returns
that must be processed will be
halved to about $4,000. This
means that a substantial por-
ton of the AZ employees in the
personal property tax division
will be freed for work in other,
more productive, divisions under
the Assessor.
Larger Staff Needed.
AS Assessor Martin has point
ed out many times before, if the
household goods tax were to be
properly enforced house to- house
appraisals would be necessary.
This, of course, would require a
staff many times larger than the
present personal property tax
force. And still the amount that
would be paid in more salaries
would barely be offset by the in
creased tax revenues.
A new headache, incidentally,
has arisen this summer, accord
ing to John Ahearn, chairman of
the board of personal tax ap-
praisers. 1t appears that scores
of Washington taxpayers believe
the property tax has already
been repealed.
We've been getting lots of
calls from angry people who
want to know why they are be-
ing billed" Mr.. Ahearn said. 1--WE
can only tell them we wish it
was so, but then remind them
that the tax was due and pay
able as of last July 81"