Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-31

UCCIl oCICCoCO al SOAllC POPuAOuo
city or some territory subject to
State jurisdiction. And, if this
was the design. it is not easy to
comprehend either the principle
which prevents the Government
from a liberal appropriation of
national resources to accomplish
the object or the policy which
would confine the city to the
means possessed by the inhab-
itants for its improvement.
I'm accomplishing their OBJ
ject, the Union undertook the
guardianship of the District, de-
prived it's inhabitants of the
right of self-government and the
elective franchise and made them
dependent upon the will of the
representatives Of the States, to
whom alone they can look for
relief"
Reasons Still Valid
Many Of the reasons, then. are
pretty old. but still are painfully
valid. With time new ones have
been added In summary, here
are the reasons District officials
say.atfie Federal Government
should pay its share Of running
its CAPITAL CITY.
!. Washington Is the National
Capital, created by the Federal
Government for its own pur-
poses, and Congress has complete
power. Where the authority lies,
there responsibility should be.
2. Washington taxpayers have
no voice and no vote in levying
or spending their taxes.
8. High-taxpaying industry is
unwelcome because it would
mar the beauty of the Nations
Capital.
4. Zoning for the Capital k,cos
down population density ana
limits the size of buildings. This
prevents the development here
Of any Washington Wall street
and the taxes it might pay.
Tax-Exempt Land
5. Only Al per cent of Wash
ington's land is taxable. The
rest, of which the Federal Gov
eminent owns 43 per cent, pays
nothing, nor do the many foreign
embassies and legations, which
are here because this is the Capt.
tai City, as are the non-taxable
headquarters of many churches
and other organizations like the
Red Cross. There is more than
twice as much tax-exempt real
estate here as in the average
American city.
6. All municipal construction
must be monumental" and ex-
pensive to make bridges, courts
and other buildings suit the dig
nifty of the Capital.
7. Under the Constitution,
Washington cannot expand, as
other cities can, and annex it's
growing suburbs. where higher
taxpayers are already moving.
8. Expansion of Washington's
population-and city services
is a result of expansion of the
Federal Government itself.
8. "Loopholes" in the city's
tax structure. built in by Con-
gress. hamstring District tax col
lectors. Some 20-year residents,
for example, who still pay in
come takes in their home States,
can Offset them against District
taxes so that they pay nothing
here.
10. The District, filling the
functions of city, county and
State, has a wide variety of
taxes. On a per capita basis,
they weigh heavily on the indi-
vidual taxpayer, and if the per
capita tax load exceeds that in
suburban Maryland and Vir-
ginia, more residents will be
driven out of the District and
its taxing jurisdiction.
IL. Taxes that, like those in
other cities, would tap nom
resident workers have little
chance Of being approved by
Congress, where the nonresi-
dents have representation and
District taxpayers do not.
IL. Unlike the Federal Gov
ernment-and many city govern
ments-the District cannot re-
capture in taxes any part of
salary increases granted to its
own nonresident employees.
10. District taxes, once levied,
must be paid year after year
Unlike Congress, the taxpayers
cannot decide annually whether
they will pay their share.
TOMORROW: Which of %
possible sources Of income
will be chosen for an in