Should Government Take $10 Million from Duke Foundation or Allow It to Pay for Indigent Care at N.C. Hospitals? Dec. 17, 1925

House Committee Refuses to Help in Removing Tax from Duke Hospital Fund

Jonathan Daniels in Raleigh News and Observer

Washington, Dec. 16—The House ways and means committee today refused to consider changes in the tax reduction bill to prevent the loss to the hospital section of the Duke Foundation of around $10,000,000 in federal inheritance taxes.

A letter from Dr. W.P. Few, president of Duke University, to Representative A.L. Bulwinkle, urging congressional action to prevent the collection of the tax, was presented to the committee at a meeting this morning by Representative R.L. Doughton, member of the committee. The committee, however, refused to reconsider that phase of the bill.

Only action in the Senate can prevent the collection of the tax on the funds of the hospital section of the Duke Foundation, which is the residuary legatee of the estate after the payment of specific bequests to relatives, friends and servants of thelate tobacco and water power magnate.

Mr. Doughton stated today that when the bill was being drawn, he attempted to fix the bill so that the big tax would not have to be paid, but the committee would not consider it. Treasury officials object to the change because of the difficulty of collecting taxes in such cases, Mr. Doughton said.

From the front page of The Concord Daily Tribune, Thursday, Dec. 17, 1925

newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073201/1925-12-17/ed-1/seq-1/