Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-10
House Debates
Virginia Tax
Credit Delay
10th District Backs
Carter Bill to SheIve
Byrd Act ; Years
By Alex R. Preston
Stor StoH Correspondent

s"S" W. ssSSsSb
Stor Stoff Correspondent
RICHMOND, Feb. 1O.-Lines
were drawn for an about floor
fight in the House of Delegates
this afternoon on the Carter
bill to suspend operation of the
Byrd automatic tax credit law
for the next three years.
Northern Virginia's 10th dis
trict delegation was solidly be-
hind the bill of Delegate Stuart
B. Carter, aimed at capturing
about 81 million scheduled to
be credited to income tax pay
ers next December and at hold
ing any SURPRISES that might
accumulate during the next two
years.
2 Other Reports Due.
Other major legislative de-
velopments included reports to
the Senate today of an Arling-
ton sales tax bill and measure
giving Federal employees the
right to serve in local govern
ment Offices, subject to refer
endum.
The Senate Committee on
Counties, Cities and Towns made
its report after having voted
unanimously yesterday in favor
of the bill of Senator Charles
r. Fenwick, permitting voters
in his home county of Arlington
to call for a referendum on the
question of whether the county
board would be authorized to
impose a sales tax. The levy
could not exceed 2 per cent Of
retail sales.
At the committees suggestion,
however. the patron agreed to
accept an amendment that any
Arlington sales tax authorized
locally would become invalid in
the event a State sales tax
were enacted.
Fight Seen on Employees Bill.
But the committee split 6 to 5
in reporting the other bill by
Senators Fenwick and John A.
K. Donovan of Fairfax on Fed
eral employees. The divided vote
presaged a floor fight on the
measure which is scheduled to
come up for debate tomorrow.
Senator Robert Y. Button Of
Culpeper was among those who
objected to the bill on grounds
Federal employees could not
serve two masters" words used
by Arlington Circuit Judge Wal
ter T. Mccarthy in ruling two
years ago that existing law does
not permit Federal employees to
serve in certain local Offices.
! To get around the courts OBJ
jections to special legislation on
this subject, the Fenwick-Dono-
van bill would apply to all To-
caltieS But to make the bill
more palatable to sections which
are inherently opposed to the
plan. the patrons provided that
a referendum would be necessary
in each locality before it could
become effective.
Exempt Z. S. Workers.
Meanwhile. new legislation
significant to the Washington
area was introduced by Dele
gate Delamater Davis of Nor
folk
1t would exempt from the
Statewide ban against State
and local Offices those retired
Federal civil service workers
who are receiving an annuity or
retirement pay to which they
had contributed from their SAL
aries
Delegates John Webb and
Omer HirSt of Fairfax sponsored
bill to permit the filing of a
copy of Federal income tax re-
turn with the State for COM
putation of the Virginia income
tax. A companion bill would
amend the tax on long-term
capital gains to make it possible
for the State to compute the
tax from Federal returns.
Z. S. Flag at Polls.
Other legislation included a
Donovan resolution declaring it
the sense of the General Assem-
bly, that the American flag should
be flown outside of polling places
on election days. A bill to make
this mandatory was killed in
committee last week
Mr.. Donovan joined Senator
George Palmer of Brunswick in
another resolution calling on
Congress to defeat United
States Senate bill that would
give the Interstate Commerce
Commission the power to author
iZe diScontinuance of railroads
operating wholly within a State.
Mr.. Fenwick introduced a bill
to prohibit suspension of the
gross receipts tax on out-of-
State truckers by reciprocal
o0rooreptc with otbar States