Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-10-27
D. {. Taxpayers
Seen Facing
s1O-io.S1l Rise
Expected Increase
Will Bring Guin
TO 20% in 2 Years

New District tax increases
slated to be imposed BY Congress
early next year viii add from $40
Ito $i2 to the yearly burden Of
the average Washington tax
payer. General Administration
Director Schuyler Lowe estimate
led today.
Combined with tax increases
LOT $l2.2S per capita levied only
last year or plus q a per capita
charge for sanitary sewage serv-
lices-tfis would produce q 20.3
Iper cent maximum rise in the
average taxpayers burden with
lin two years.
These figures alter radically
the picture painted recently by
Mrs. Henry Munroe, president OF
the District League Of Women
Voters, It was pointed out by vet
|eran District observers.
She charged that taxes paid
Iby washington residents are low
In comparison with those paid
lby people In other large United
states cities"
Figures Seen Distorted
Although the previous tax in-
creases have only been In ef-
feet for the is months since
August, I954and District ONE
|ciais plan to have the new taxes
in effect long before next August
she charged that the increase
was 8.S per cent lover two
years" She compared this to an
average national increase Of s.
per cent q year, and thus an In
crease Of 10 per cent over two
years.
District officials contended
Mrs. Munroe's figures showing
per capita" tax burdens Of
Washington and similar cities
were distorted by her failure to
allow for industrial contributions
TO the taxes Of other cities.
Finance ofiicer James I. Mar
tin, for example. asked. Why
should our per capita tax burden
be as high as San Francisco's?
We don't have San Francisco's.
industry. her port or the revenue
she gets from them. Nor do we
have to spend nearly So million
% year to suhsidize q municipal
transit system and q municipal
airport, as does San Francisco. +
Government q Factor
The per capita" tax burden
lis figured out simply ~ diyidine
e city's population into Is total
revenue from taxes The sieiirc
then Is used IS the average tax
payers" contribution TO city
financing.
Actually. however, industry
and business normally pay about
so per cent Of total taxes, leaving
the rest TO be collected from In
|dividuals and residential prop
erty owners.
Representative Hyde. Repub-
Ilican OF Maryland, has said. for
example. that while In the Mary
land Legislature he helped pre-
pare . tax program for the State
which worked successfully every
where but ii Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties. It
broke down there, he said. be-
cause the suburbs Of Washington
had insufficient industry, leav-
ing the total tax burden to be
carried by the residential and
business communities.
District officials contend the
same thing Is true In Washing
ton. where the Federal Govern
ment Is. the major industry
and pays no taxes.
Instead, It makes an annual.
and variable lump-suIn pay
ment toward the costs Of rum
ment. District officials contend.
Us far lower than the amount
the city would receive II the Fed
|eral Government were q taxable
industry.
They pointed out last March
that II the Federal payment were
figured into Washington's per
capita tax burden, Washington
would have one Of the highest
per capita taxes Of the 13 cities
ia its population group.
Making no allowance for this,
Mrs. Munroe showed the District