Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-28
Virginia Bill
Exerl,pts $500
Tax Paid u. 5.
Delegate GouIdmon
Acts in Fuce of
Revenue Search
BY q ssoH Correspondent Of Tbs star

istration, forces in the General
Assembly. already trying to
stretch the, dollar to carry out
campaign promises of the new
Governor. today were confronted
by another threat-a genuine
reduction in income taxes.
AS Delegate Francis p. Could
man sees it, his proposal would
eliminate the practice of double
taxation" on the first $500 a
man makes for a living.
The Fredericksburg legislator
introduced a bill yesterday to
allow a Virginia taxpayer to de-
duct up to $500 of the amount
he pays on his Federal income
tax.
II don't see why a man should
pay two taxes on the same in
come" he said. "but I don't
think I have a chance of getting
any further than $500 at this
session. At least. this bill would
take care Of the little man by
affording him some relief"
It was one of several develop
ments relating to taxes yester-
day.
Would Tax Soft Drinks.
A group of top medical men
proposed to Gov. Stanley a l.
cent-a-bottle tax on soft drinks
as a means of obtaining SIS mil
lion more in revenue.
State Senator Harry Stuart of
Russell proposed to earmark for
schools about 81 million taxpay-
ers otherwise would receive in
the way of reductions next De-
cember- Only the day before, a
bill was introduced to suspend
the so-called automatic income
tax reduction law for two years
SO that Gov. Stanley could carry
out his program for higher
teachers salaries and other
purposes.
Under the automatic reduction
law. VirginianS get a tax reduc-
ton whenever revenues exceed
the Governors estimates by S
per cent. On the basis of this
formula. about 81 million is due
to be taken off tax bills this year.
State Tax Commissioner c. H.
Morrissette said the Gouldman
proposal to deduct Federal tax
payments up to $500 would cost
Virginia about SAB million, based
on income tax returns for 1852.
GouIdman Answers.
Mr.. Gouldman countered that,
If his proposed law had been in
effect during 1852. the State
would have received $4.8 million
less in revenue and. therefore,
there would have been only
about $2.2 million taken in above
the estimates. Under such cir
cumstances, Mr.. Gouldman rea-
soned. the State would have kept
the $2.2 million instead of having
to refund it under the auto
matte tax reduction law.
In other developments. Dele
gates Walter Page of Norfolk,
Armistead Boothe of Alexandria
and j. Maynard Magruder of
Arlington sponsored a resolution
that would create a commission
to study revision of the election
laws in case the poll tax is re-
pealed. The three were among
patrons of an earlier resolution
proposing an amendment to the
constitution to repeal the poll
tax. If the repeal measure was
adopted, it still would have to
weather another session of the
Legislature before the voters
could decide the issue.
Bitterness over redistricting
the States legislative and con-
gresSional districts in 1852 was
manifest in another develop
ment.
Fears Urban Gains.
Senator Charles Moses of APP
pomatoX. who represents a
strictly rural territory, brought
to a focus the fear and dislike
his faction holds for the urban
areas that gained added repre-
Sentation in Congress and the
Legislature under the 1852 re-
districting law.
Proposed Amendment.
Mr.. Moses proposed a con-
stitutional amendment. which
would freeze the representation
in the General Assembly. He
also would repeal that section of
the Constitution requiring that
congressional districts be COM
posed of contiguous and COM
pact territory containing as
nearly as practicable an equal
number Of inhabitants"
This. according to those ac-
quainted with the move, is an
obvious attempt to gerrymander
congressional districts without
any constitutional restrictions
whatsoever.
In a more subtle attempt to
keep the rural element in con-
troll, he offered another resolu-
ton proposing other amend
ments to the constitution. At
present. the constitution allows
the Legislature to redistrict the
State, both as to representation
in Congress and in the Legis-
lature, oftener than every 10
years. Mr.. Moses second pro-
posal would place an outright
ban on redistricting oftener than
every 10 years.
Committee action yesterday
saw bill to set up a referendum
neXf Time m a CONSTITUTIONAL