Evening star., 1961-06-11
Proceed With Care

FIOCeeQ WITH NOFe
The District needs about $32 million
more than current revenues, according
to its budgeting authorities. Senator
Bible is proposing to supply it by
another round of local tax hikes, pro-
ducing some $21.S million. If this is
done, he thinks there is a chance that
the Federal payment will be increased
by $11 million, and he is willing to
make a fight for it. We do not doubt
his good faith or his intentions. But
let's look at the record.
Take 1854. That was the year Con-
greSS and the District worked out plans
for long-range program of urgently
needed public works, to be financed
through local taxes and adequate Fed
eral payments Local taxes were raised
then, and several times since. But with
one. exception lin 1850, Congress an
nually has appropriated lesser Federal
payment than the amount it had
authorized.
Had Congress met, in the past six
years, the Federal obligation as spelled
out In the amounts authorized for the
Federal payment, the District would
have received $29 million more than
has been appropriated. In other words,
the $S2 million in additional revenue
now being sought is very close to the
amount by which Congress has reneged
in appropriations for the District since
1866.
Yet now we are faced with another
heavy boost in local taxes, with no
more assurance than in the past that
Congress will fulfill its obligations to
provide large enough Federal payment
to permit the needed Improvements to
proceed as part Of a balanced
budget.
In view of past experience, we
believe that before the Senate takes
any action on the tax bill Just proposed
by the Senate District Committee, its
members ought to wait until they see
what action the House Appropriations
Committee takes on the pending District
appropriation bill. There will be time
then to see exactly which projects
have been eliminated from the works
program, to evaluate the seriousness Of
the cuts and to formulate strategy as
to what it is essential to restore. If the
House, for example, should approve a
Federal payment of $32 millionaire full
amount now authorized-there would
be ample opportunity for the Senate
to consider whether to try for the
ambitious $36 million Federal payment
and some of the higher taxes proposed
by Senator Bible. But If the House
once again trims the city budget and
the Federal payment to a bare-boneS
minimum, 1t would be self-defeating to
try to push through Sizeable tax
program which still would leave the
city far, far short of its needs.
There also is another very practical
problem in the path of the course
proposed by Senator Bible. This is the
position of Chairman Mcmillan of the
House District Committee, who is fully
as influential on one side of the Capitol
as is Senator Bible on the other. Mr..
Mcmillan has been adamant this year
against any tax increase other than a
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furthermore, that the real prospects of
obtaining a higher Federal payment
are not good, regardless Of how high
local taxes are raised. And he argues
that the city can "get by" adequately
this year with the sales tax increase.
In view of this House-Senate conflict,
why not wait until the House acts to
see how well the city can "get by"-to
determine more precisely what the
unmet needs will be?
Perhaps this seems harsh, and it
may be argued that it would be better
for the city to meet as many of its
public works needs as it can, regardless
of the sacrifice in local taxation. The
fact is, however, that these needs cannot
be met by the city alone-as the past
has shown all too clearly.