Evening star., 1959-11-10

after ironing out confiicting recol
two Of its committees,
Under one plan, approved b!
the General Assembly, which n
asked to enact 3 per cent
sales levy. Two-thirds OF the ,
net revenue would be returned
to the counties and cities on
the basis of their populations
and school enrollments.
A second proposal, submitted
by Fairfax County Supervisor
william H. Moss to the Taxa
ton and Finance Committee,
purposely avoided spelling out
the amount Of the tax or the
formula under which localities
would receive revenue.
Both proposals were adopted
at separate meetings held SIM
ultaneously yesterday. They
were approved in general terms
and will be submitted in final
form this afternoon at the clos
ing session of the three-day
annual convention of the
league.
Fair Formula Asked
Under Mr.. Moss resolution,
the league would 60 on record
as approving State sales
tax with the explicit stipulation
that such q tax be ENACTED
only upon the condition that
q fair and equitable formula
for the return of the monies
to the localities be devised"
1t was suggested that factors
used for distributing funds to
the localities should include
school attendance averages,
property values. total income
taxes paid from each locality
"and other equitable means"
Mr.. Moss and other represen-
tatives of fast-growing counties
like Fairfax wanted to avoid
population as q factor. This is
because the distribution of
other State revenues, in which
population is involved, penal
ICES the faSt-growing areas be-
cause census figures are re-
vised only every 10 years.
I'VE in the urban counties
would like to have the same
powers cities have to levy
local sales tax" Mr.. Moss said.
Other committee members
from rural areas objected to
that. Later, Mr.. Moss told a
reporter: I'VE didn't get every
thing we wanted-they just
wouldn't hold still for that"
Suffering Charged
Meanwhile, at the legislative
committee session, another
Fairfax County supervisor,
Stuart T. DeBell of Centreville.
who is chairman, put in q
strong bid for a fairer distri-
button of sales tax revenues.
Fairfax has suffered" he
said, in the distribution OF
highway and other funds.
He proposed that some sys-
tenn be worked out whereby a
locality would get back from
the State an amount in pro-
portion to the tax collected.
THAT would help the big
cities but would hurt the coun-
ties" countered the leagues
field secretary. w. B. Speck.
"The thing that bothers the
counties is that all of the mar
ket places are in the cities and
towns. The little country mer-
chant has all but disappeared.
The League of Virginia
Counties has favored a sales
tax for the last 10 years. Pros
poets of the levy appear likely
next year. Gov. Almond and
his budget advisers were meet
ing in Richmond today and
were reported holding to the
opinion that a sales tax is nec-
essary to finance the State;
growing needs.
Gas Tax Rise Ducked
Another delegate issue-s
proposed 1-cent rise in the gas
oline tax-was sidestepped by
the legislative committee. The
committee on taxation and f.
nance didn't even entertain the
proposal.
The increase appeared almost
certain for Virginia until Con-
gress added a 1-cent-a-gallor
Federal tax to help advance
the interstate road program.
Rural counties have. been
complaining that the Federal
interstate program is deprivine
them Of revenues for the farm.
to-market secondary system
State Hishway Commissioner
Samuel D. May attempted tt
lay such fears at rest in a tall
to the convention. He acknowl.
edged the secondary road SyS.
tenn "is in terrible condition anc
we might as well be frank abou'
It,"
But" he added, "the pri.
mary system has suffered tn
most from the interstate pro
gram"
He explained that primar.
road funds are diverted t,
match Federal money for tn
interstate program, while tn
secondary road system is guar
anteed 30 per cent of all Stat
highway revenues each year.
Increase Asked
This year. he said, secondar
roads got $33.5 million and tn
Highway Department has aske
for an increase during the mex
two years. He did not specif
the amount.
Those roads are eating u
up maintaining them" he salt
"1n our haste to get out of tn
muck we built them too narro'
and too thin"
Mr., Nav acknowledged Fair