The chair of the House committee that oversees local D.C. affairs is seeking to make it significantly harder for city lawmakers to raise taxes or fees.
A bill introduced Thursday by Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) would block the D.C. Council from amending its tax code or raising any city taxes or fees without explicit approval from Congress. The measure would upend the typical process for D.C. tax changes, which currently go into effect automatically after a waiting period unless Congress takes action to block them.
Under Comer’s bill, any new D.C. law that raises taxes or fees would require approval from both chambers of Congress within 60 days; without it, the law would be moot. He introduced the measure as D.C. lawmakers, faced with a sluggish local economy and mounting budget pressures, have said they may consider potential tax increases on businesses and wealthy residents next fiscal year — and as D.C.’s Democratic nominee for mayor, Janeese Lewis George, has advocated for a business activity tax targeting law firms and consulting groups that do not pay the city’s typical business taxes.