Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-02-24
State of the CopituI'


their able presentation on the Estate
of the Nations Capital" They paint
gloomy picture of what it is now and
the threatening aspects of the imme-
diate future-unleSS corrective steps are
taken.
Against that background, the Com
miSSionerS are asking questions that de-
mand answers. Only Congress can sup
ply them. Exercising exclusive control
over this Seat of Government, what does
Congress propose to do with it? Does it
wish to see an outstanding city, worthy
of being the Capital of a great Nation?
Or does it intend to preside over its de-
terioration as a Second-rate community,
barely able to maintain minimum stand
ards in health, education, welfare and
public protection needs?
The answer sought by the Com
miSSionerS is legislative reaff1rmation by
Congress of its intent to assume its Just
financial responsibility toward upkeep
and development of this Federal City.
The extent of that responsibility would
be measured by the difference between
revenues from fair and adequate local
taxes and the total cost of meeting de-
monStrable needs. In money, the Com
miSSionerS estimate that difference as
$S2 million, an increase of SO million
above the presently authorized Federal
payment. Accompanying that increase
would be new loan authorizations of 500
million, partially to finance needed pub
lie works over the next six years.
There is nothing novel in this for
mula. Should Congress adopt it, the APP
preparations committees, as In the past.
can repudiate' it at will. What IS really
needed is return to congressional pol
Icy, written into law, under which Cons
greSS obligateS itself to appropriation Of
Federal funds in some fixed ratio to
locally derived tax revenue. For unless
Congress is willing to commit itself to
meeting its financial responsibilities on
a matching basis with local revenues,
the Districts assumption of additional
debt will merely invite another financial
crisis within few years.
The new approach by the Commits
sionerS is to measure what represents
a fair and just tax obligation for the
y
SiSting of comparisons with the self
assumed tax obligations in adjacent
Maryland and Virginia. Some efforts in
that direction have been made in the
recent past. But in their current pres
'entation to Congress, the Commissioners
have gone into great detail to make the
comparisons precise. They conclude, on
the basis of such comparison, that the
aggregate of local taxes in the District
of Columbia is higher than in the sub
urbS; that additional local taxation is
not feasible and, if imposed, would be
of further detriment to an already
shaken local economy.
Measured by any yardStick, the in
creaSeS in local taxation and in local
government costs in the past decade are
extraordinary. In the past four years
alone, tax levels in the District have
been increased by more than $50 mil
lion. The increases we're imposed with
the understanding that Congress would
increase the Federal payment, an un-
Outstanding repeatedly ignored in APP
preparations practice. So we continue
from one financial crisis to another,
brought about by blind, visionleSS and
unavoidable policy of soaking the UNI
represented local taxpayer with finan-
cial obligation the all-powerful Federal
Government refuses to assume.
More critical than the impending
deficits, however, is the future of this
beautiful city. Its changing population,
the influx of low income groups and the
flight Of the higher income groups be-
yond its fixed boundaries; the steady
increase in tax exempt property and the
diminishing sources of local taxation
pose problems to which Congress must
give realistic study before it is too late.
1t is getting pretty late as it is.