Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1956-02-09

vice known as e&'
the grand in MIR. LEE
quest in order to get at the facts
behind the strike and perhaps
determine whether the transit
management is deliberately try
ing to force a sell-out to public
ownership. Sounds slightly
familiar to those of us from the
Washington area
In a grand inquest the House
of Delegates sits as what amounts
to a king-sized grand jury with
very broad powers of subpoena,
etc.
Gov. McKeldin has also handed
us a bill authorizing seizure of
the strike.bound utility and oper-
alton by the State. The bill is
opposed by the Baltimore Transit
Co., the union, all other public
utilities and all the other union
leaders. l have suspicion that
the bill will not move very fast.
2. The Maryland Port Author
ity. There is no need to review
this proposal, except to note that
l have received quite a few let
ters and kilograms since last
week. The sentiment is unani-
mously opposed to the use of an
additional gasoline tax to finance
the proposed authority.
3. Veterans bonus bill. This
hardy perennial is back again. 1t
would award a bonus to every
Maryland veteran, going back as
far as the Spanish-American War.
If you were not a resident of
|, Maryland at the time of Undue.
ton, you would get no bonus.
But you would, of course, have
the privilege of helping to pay
for the whole thing. The cost is
set at $90,000,000, and it would be
financed by so percent increase
in the sales tax - from 2 percent
to 3 percent.
l have no intention whatsoever
of voting for this bill
d. l brought the budget and the
related bills home laSt-Week foI
exploration and study. Here are
some interesting features:
(a) The total amount of pro
posed expenditures in fiscal year
1857 is slightly over 1903 millions
The only tax increase is on horse
racing.
(b) AS expected, there is nc
trace of a pay-as-you-go policy or
capital improvements, despite the
recommendations that have beer
issued by any number of official
commissions and study groups
The governors policy is to keer
on issuing bonds and let the flu
ture take care of itself.
(c) AS a direct result of such
a policy, the governors 1857 pro
gram calls for an increase in the
State property tax from 1890 tC
1407 cents per 500 of assessed
value. Since the State property
tax comes to the taxpayer each
year as part of the bill that he
receives from his county govern
ment talong with fire tax areas
sanitary districts, etc), the blame
for any increase is frequently
land enormously charged to the
county government
l am very strongly opposed t.
any increase in the State property
tax rate, because it represents al
encroachment upon the MAR
source of revenue of the county
and municipal governments. II
Maryland, the State uses the prop
erty tax only for debt service OF
its bonded Indebtedness. There
fore the constant refusal of Gov
McKeldin to pay for any capita
Improvements out of current rev
enue and his insistence on thu
use of bond issues inevitably re
suits in higher rates for the Statt
property tax and greater en-
croachment upon the revenue do
main of the counties and towns
I'D The budget includes a new
and very complex formula FOL
distributing State aid for tn,
county medical care program un
der the Health Department.
am studying this formula to Sc,
if Montgomery County's inter
ests are adequately protected.
PS. to Dick Lansdale and vii
Hines: I am happy to report tina
we were successful in overriding
the governors veto Of the bill Il
exempt production credit associa
lions from the tax on shares. TIL,
bill viii now become law on Junt
/.