Evening star., 1954-02-17
Senate. House
Get Sales Tax
Bills for Action
New Measure on
Fuirfux Permits
Sewage Contract
By Alex R. Preston
Stur StoH Correspondent

| Stur Stoff Correspondent
RICHMOND, Feb. 17.-Arling-
ton sales tax bills emerged in
both branches of the General
Assembly today as other coun-
ties joined in a stampede to
amend them so they can tap
this source of revenue.
Identical bills on an Arlington
sales tax, carrying slightly diff
ferent amendments, were re-
ported yesterday by committees
Of the House of Delegates and
State Senate.
The sales tax legislation Of
fered most of the Arlington
House and Senate delegation,
and a similar bill for Washing
ton County, in Southwest Vir-
ginia, was creating the most
furore here.
The Senate Finance Commit
tee reported. for a second time,
the bill of Senator Charles r.
Fenwick which permits Arling-
ton to vote on the question Of
whether the county board may
impose a sales tax. The Senate
group adopted an amendment
to rescind the levy at such time
as a Statewide sales tax might
become effective.
An identical bill, sponsored by
Delegates j Maynard Magruder
and Kathryn Stone of Arlington,
was reported by the Counties,
Cities and Towns Committees of
the House It was amended,
however, to provide that the
local sales tax would be void
one year after enactment of a
State sales tax.
40 Counties Interested.
A member Of the Finance
Committee said about 40 coun-
ties were waiting for the chance
to amend the legislation when it
reaches the House.
Senator Robert o. Norris,
Finance Committee chairman,
saw a danger in this. After more
than half of the counties obtain
the right to levy local sales taxes
to argument local treasures, he
said. it will be impossible to get
their representatives in the
Legislature to enact a State
sales tax.
Nevertheless, the Senate COM
mittee reported the Arlington
bill unanimously. The vote in
the House committee was 10 to 3.
Another major development
was the Finance Committee S
favorable action. by a vote of
l3 to 6. on the administration S
l-cent gasoline tax increase.
This vote also was taken be-
hind closed doors. but reporters
who checked the roll call later
determined that Senators Fen
wick and Curray Carter Of
Staunton were among those who
voted against the increase.
Republican State Chairman
Floyd Landreth, the Senator
from Galax, also cast his vote
against it.
/ Other new legislation includes
these bills:
! BY Delegate Francis Could
man Of Fredericksburg, to make
the State pay all teachers SAL
aries, with the locality not al
lowed to augment the pay by
more than $500.
BY Senator John A. K. Dono-
van of Fairfax, to give property
owners in counties more power to
! object to changes in coming.
| BY Senator Ted Dalton, Re-
publican. of Radford. to further
limit the amounts candidates for
State Offices may spend for their
campaigns.
House Trims Holidays.
The House yesterday passed
the Witten bill cutting State
holidays from 13 to 9 by a vote
of II to 20. 1t now goes to the
Senate.
Delegate Walter A. Page of
Norfolk introduced a bill to lift
the maximum salary brackets
for commissioners of revenue,
treasurers and commemorative
attorneys by Is per cent.
The legislation would be per-
miSSive.
The Senate Finance Commit
tee set next Tuesday at 8 pm.
for a public hearing on the Will
lett formula for the distribution
of State education funds to the
localities. The hearing had orig
~, a l1v, lhoa,a cot f1r x4ya;~Lk