Taxation Without Representation in D.C.

For decades, D.C. has utilized “Taxation without representation” as a slogan, raising awareness of D.C.’s disenfranchisement. This piece follows up on DCNOW’s blog piece entitled “Happy 250^th, USA.”

License Plates

In 2000, D.C. began putting “Taxation Without Representation” on its license plates, replacing the old motto “Celebrate and Discover”. The lettering and the red, white, and blue colors of D.C.’s license plates remained.

In 2021, The Washington Post began its piece entitled “The story behind the District’s ‘Taxation Without Representation’ license plates” with:

“Is there a sentiment more steeped in patriotism than the slogan on the license plates of vehicles registered in Washington, D.C.? Many states play up their role in American history — Connecticut’s ‘Constitution State,’ Delaware’s ‘The First State’ — but few can draw such a direct line straight to the fiery crucible in which the nation was forged: ‘Taxation without representation.’”

“That phrase debuted in 1765 as a protest against the Stamp Act, the British law that taxed American colonists.”

Sarah Shapiro, a D.C. native and D.C. resident who received credit (according to The Washington Post) “with suggesting in 2000 that the capital’s status as a city whose residents pay federal taxes but have no voice in Congress should be set in stone,” wanted a simpler version of the colonial-era “No taxation without representation” slogan. She wanted “Taxation Without Representation.”

According to The Washington Post, D.C. native Tina Bacas Gibson had the same idea 19 years earlier. Her idea was “DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA across the top and TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION across the bottom.”

Shapiro initially e-mailed The Politics Hour show, suggesting that “Taxation Without Representation” be placed on D.C. license plates. Radio commentator Mark Plotkin brought her idea to the D.C. Council.

It is notable that D.C. Councilmember Carol Schwartz, a Republican, supported the new license plates. She said:

“Most people are not aware of what's happening here.”

“They think the whole D.C. government is supported by the rest of the country. They don't know we pay $2 billion in federal taxes every year. But we still don't have a vote in the nation's legislature.”

She also noted that many states makes statements via their license plates. She added, “Here in the capital of this great democracy, we are also proposing to make a statement on our license plates--one that we feel should be made to educate all.”

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) thought that the new license plates would “make people scratch their heads.” She added, “[t]hey’ll have to ask what it means.”

Some Congressional Republicans objected. For example, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who chaired a Senate Subcommittee on District of Columbia, thought that D.C. residents “should pride themselves on being the nation’s capital city and have a positive slogan that would be more welcoming.” U.S. Representative Ernest J. Istook (R-OK) said many people not in D.C. would “read the slogan as an insulting boast that the nation’s capital benefits from taxes at the expense of the rest of the country.”

The D.C. Council had been concerned that the Congress might prevent the new redesign. Thus, they supported D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ plan to create the new design via an executive order, as Congress does not review Executive Orders. However, according to The Washington Post, “Congress can invoke its constitutional authority over the District and block any action by the city government.” By August 2000, Williams signed an executive order authorizing the new plates.

In 2016, the District of Columbia changed the motto on its license plates to “End Taxation Without Representation.” The altered language was because of legislation that D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen introduced in 2016, B21-0708 - End Taxation Without Representation Amendment Act of 2016.” The bill’s summary is:

“Law 21- 279 requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to include the phrase "End Taxation without Representation" to the standard motor vehicle tag. It also requires the Mayor to design and produce a motor vehicle identification tag with the phrase "We Demand Statehood", and authorizes the Mayor to establish application and display fees. The fees collected will be deposited into the New Columbia Statehood Fund.”

The bill became law. As of 2021, Shapiro preferred her language.

Every newly registered vehicle with D.C.’s Department of Motor Vehicles receives “End Taxation Without Representation” tags. People can exchange “personalized membership organization or specialty tags” for “End Taxation Without Representation” tags. “End Taxation Without Representation” or “Taxation Without Representation” are on some “Specialty Vehicle Tags,” including tags relating to the Anacostia River, D.C. Veteran, D.C. Woman Veteran, the Washington Wizards, and bicycles.

D.C.’s Flag

In recent decades, multiple D.C. Council bills have focused on placing “taxation without representation” on D.C.’s flag. In 2002, D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson introduced a bill that would have permitted “redesigning [of] the flag of the District of Columbia to include the words ‘DC’ and ‘Taxation Without Representation’ within the flag” “to promote the cause of full voting representation for the citizens of the District of Columbia in the United States Congress.”

The bill seems to be B14-0647 - DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLAG REDESIGN ACT OF 2002. The legislation, which was introduced in April 2002, would:

“adopt an official flag for the District of Columbia, to proclaim the unique status of the District of Columbia as the only place in the United States where citizens are fully taxed without being fully represented in the Congress of the United States by temporarily redesigning the flag of the District of Columbia to include the words ‘DC’ and ‘No Taxation Without Representation,’ and to establish a commission to advise the Council regarding the placement and design of such language.”

Mendelson wanted to educate tourists who come to D.C., as many Americans do not know that D.C. residents experience taxation without representation. He hoped that after tourists learn about D.C.’s undemocratic situation, they “will contact their members of Congress and demand full representation for residents of the nation's capital.” Mendelson viewed his proposed flag as temporary since he thought that once D.C. gained full Congressional voting representation, D.C. would return to its old flag.

Locals and others had contrasting views about Mendelson’s idea. DC Vote and other local groups viewed the idea as crucial. Meanwhile, historian Philip Ogilvie opposed the concept: “By putting something like a motto on a flag, you tend to take away the simplicity and beauty of the flag.” Ogilvie also was concerned about the costs of replacing current flags. Supporters said costs could be decreased by having new flags once old flags decline. In addition, flag fans opposed Mendelson’s idea.

In July 2002, Mendelson introduced PR14-0854 - DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLAG DESIGN COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT EMERGENCY DECLARATION RESOLUTION OF 2002. The resolution declared “the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to establish the Flag Design Advisory Commission.” The resolution was approved.

In July 2022, Mendelson introduced B14-0799 - FLAG DESIGN ADVISORY COMMISSION EMERGENCY ACT OF 2002.” The bill established “on an emergency basis, a Flag Design Advisory Commission to advise the Council as to the proper placement and design of the language ‘DC’ and ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ on the District of Columbia flag.” In August 2002, the bill became Act A14-0424.

In November 2002, Mendelson introduced “B14-0936 - FLAG DESIGN ADVISORY COMMISSION CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW EMERGENCY ACT OF 2002.” That bill established, “on an emergency basis, due to Congressional review, a Flag Design Advisory Commission to advise the Council as to the proper placement and design of the language ‘DC’ and ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ on the District of Columbia flag.” That bill became law.

In March 2003, B13-0647 bill became law L14-237. Later, B15-0413 - DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLAG ADOPTION AND DESIGN ACT OF 2003, which would have adopted “the recommendations of the District of Columbia Flag Design Advisory Commission for the placement of ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ and ‘DC’ on the flag,” did not become law.

In May 2011, Mendelson and D.C. Council M. Brown introduced “B19-0277 - DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLAG AMENDMENT ACT OF 2011.” That law amended “the District of Columbia Flag Adoption and Design Act of 2002 to permit the flying of the District of Columbia Flag containing the language ‘DC’ and ‘No Taxation Without Representation’ on Flag Day, June 14^th of each year.” In June 2013, the bill became Law L19-0239.

Tax Pay-Out Message Board

In the late 2000s, D.C. created a message board, which relates to D.C.’s taxation/representation situation. On January 2007, D.C. Councilmembers Marion Barry, Schwartz, and Kwame Brown introduced B17-0028 - TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION FEDERAL TAX PAY-OUT MESSAGE BOARD INSTALLATION ACT OF 2007. The bill would “provide for the installation of electronic message boards adjacent to the John A. Wilson Building and on public space near Nationals Park to display the dollar amount of federal taxes paid by District of Columbia residents.” During November 2008, the bill became Law L17-0232.

In January 2009, the D.C. Council and members of D.C.’s shadow delegation inaugurated the new board that is near the Wilson Building. That board may never have included “Taxation Without Representation,” but the authorizing law has that language.

At the time, the other sign was under dispute with Washington Nationals owners, who viewed the sign as “political” and “controversial.” However, fundamentally, taxation without representation is about civil/human rights and should not be “controversial.” WETA reported, “[f]or residents, ‘Taxation Without Representation’ is not political speech. It’s a fact. People can read it and make up their own minds.”

Proponents of the Wilson Building sign thought the sign would raise awareness of D.C.’s taxation with representation situation.

dcist reported that the Wilson Building sign “is modeled after the electronic billboards in the 1980s that counted the national debt, dollar by dollar, to make a point about reckless government spending. dcist’s article ended:

“it’s patently unjust that 600,000 people who serve in the military and pay their federal taxes don’t have true representation in Congress.”

The D.C. Council added a similar tax counter to its website’s home page. On its website, it wrote:

“Just like the ticker you may have seen outside the Wilson Building, this tax counter shows how much federal taxes we have paid this past year without having representation in Congress.”

“Almost two decades later, the District has still been denied a vote in Congress.  We have added this tax counter to our website home page as an additional visible reminder.”

The “Federal Tax Counter” is also on other pages of D.C. Council’s website.

Taxation Without Representation Street

In the late 2000s, within years of the Washington Nationals beginning play at their new Nationals Park stadium, the D.C. Council passed legislation that would name South Capitol Street between N Street and Potomac Avenue near Nationals Park, “Taxation Without Representation Street.” The majority of the D.C. Council either introduced (four D.C. Councilmembers) or co-sponsored (six D.C. Councilmembers) the bill. D.C. Councilmember Kwame Brown, who introduced the bill, said:

“Thousands of fans attending over 80 games at the Nationals Ballpark will be reminded of the District's lack of representation in Congress.”

“Just as importantly, baseball fans across the nation watching ESPN will learn about (the) District's plight. This bill will literally put us on the road to full representation.”

Nbcwashington.com reported, “Brown said that part of South Capitol Street was chosen because of the stadium and because the road is a direct route to the Capitol itself.” D.C. Shadow Senator Paul Strauss told the D.C. Council, “We got our representation in the National League, and now we have to get our representation in the national legislature.” On April 2009, the bill became Law 17-0332.

The Nationals lists its address as:

“Washington Nationals

Nationals Park

1500 South Capitol Street, SE

Washington, DC 20003”

That address is on Taxation Without Representation Street.

D.C.’s Quarter

In February 2008, Stephanie D. Scott, PhD., Liaison to the Mint for the District of Columbia, wrote to then-Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Henry M. Paulson, Jr., seeking “to establish the propriety of using the phrase ‘Taxation Without representation’ on the reverse of the quarter for the District of Columbia.” She wrote that that phrase, which she referred to as “an apolitical and non-partisan motto; a declarative and defining fact about the District of Columbia,” was the most frequently-mentioned concept that D.C. residents had wanted for the D.C. quarter as part of the “50 States Quarter Program.” D.C. residents thought that the language on D.C.’s quarter would teach the public about the nation’s capital and its history, a task of state quarters.

D.C. does not have a quarter in that collection, but D.C. has a coin, “the first coin in the 2009 DC and U.S. Territories Program.” D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty created the District of Columbia Quarter Design Advisory Committee, which chose three designs from more then 300. After the U.S. Mint created “artistic renderings,” through a public vote, the Duke Ellington design was recommended. On July 31, 2008, the Secretary of Treasury approved that design. D.C.’s quarter’s back does not include the “Taxation Without Representation” language.

Taxation Without Representation Way

In 2014, the D.C. Council passed a resolution that would name First Street between Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue near the U.S. Capitol, “D.C. No Taxation Without Representation Way.” All thirteen D.C. Councilmembers introduced the bill. Mendelson said:

“I think that it’s important that this measure is being introduced at the same time as the last measure, because if we’re going to be talking about human rights, then we should use that opportunity to remind citizens that the citizens of the District of Columbia do not have the same rights and privileges as do all the other citizens of the United States of America,”

Norton’s office issued a press release, which said:

“A renamed First Street fronting the Capitol will make a permanent statement every day to the Congress about the need to live up to the pro-democracy words spoken in Congress each day. "D.C. No Taxation Without Representation Way" also will bring national and international attention to our undemocratic status, and will provide a new venue to call Congress to account.”

In April 2015, the bill became Law L20-0221.

D.C.’s Proclamation

On July 15, 2020, D.C.’s Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a Proclamation that proclaimed that day as “OFFICIALLY END TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION DAY.” Its last WHEREAS was “WHEREAS, on this Federal Tax Day, we demand the official end of taxation without representation in the United States:”

Call to Action

Taxation without representation must end. The only option is for D.C. to become a state.