It wasn’t too long ago that District Officials thought it might be a good idea to institute a tax on those people who live in Virginia and Maryland and work in the District. Essentially, instead of just hitting us up for 10% of our lunch money, and a good chunk of our Metro fares, they wanted to grab a good 2% of our income here as well. Well, some smart folks picked up the phone and called their lawyers and sued. Today they won a major court battle and the federal appeals court here in DC said in its verdict that the Constitution gives all power pertaining to the federal city to Congress.
Good luck getting that one through, boys. DC’s not the only city with this problem, though, as New York City draws commuting workers from nearby Connecticut and New Jersey and somehow manages to make do without their wallets. Chicago somehow survives without the income of all of the Wisconsin and Indiana people who work in the city. Such it is here. I feel for the city, but I already feel sufficiently taxed without having to pay extra just to work here.
[Update] After local lawyer JW commented on this point, I’d like to clarify a few things from his point of view: The DC Commuter Tax is designed to be neutral effect on those who pay it, ie, the money you pay to DC will be deducted from your state taxes. In addition, the suit was begun by DC residents, not city officials.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
