J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                             1701

to provide compensating payments for tax exemptions granted in
Maryland to members of the diplomatic corps.

Now therefore be it resolved by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That the Congress of the United States be memorialized to provide
compensating payments to the State of Maryland, and to any of its
political subdivisions for tax exemptions granted in this State to
members and representatives of the diplomatic corps; and

Whereas, the City of Washington, District of Columbia, by virtue
of the Constitution and Laws of the United States, is the seat of the
Government of the United States; and for this reason all foreign dip-
lomatic representatives accredited to the United States of America
and accepted and received as such by the President must reside and
maintain diplomatic establishments near the seat of government of
the United States; and

Whereas, following the end of World War II, various colonial
powers of the world have submitted, graciously or otherwise, to a
break up of their colonial empires to the extent that the number of

WHEREAS, FOLLOWING THE END OF WORLD WAR II,
THE NUMBER OF independent sovereign powers throughout the
world has increased enormously to the point where it may soon be-
come difficult, if not impossible, to find suitable housing for all mem-
bers of the diplomatic corps within the confines of the City of Wash-
ington, District of Columbia; and

Whereas, such expansion of the foreign diplomatic corps has al-
ready brought about an exodus of such displomatic DIPLOMATIC
representatives into the State of Maryland, where they are, and al-
ways will be, quite welcome; and

Whereas, in cooperation with the Government of the United
States, the State of Maryland has exempted such diplomatic repre-
sentatives from the payment of the Maryland sales tax and the Mary-
land income tax; has permitted certain diplomatic individuals living
within the State of Maryland to use District of Columbia diplomatic
license plates on their automotive vehicles; as well as extending other
courtesies at some loss of revenue, such as permitting certain diplo-
matic representatives to bring untaxed spirituous liquors into the
State of Maryland; and

Whereas, certain diplomatic establishments have purchased real
estate within the State of Maryland, specifically, in two instances in
Montgomery County, Maryland; and when the county tax assessor
sought to collect real estate taxes assessed against the property, it
was found that there is in force and effect between the United States
and the countries involved treaties which exempt the countries from
the payment of real estate taxes on real property owned by the for-
eign government and used for governmental purposes; and

Whereas, in each of the cases involving the treaties, Montgomery
County, bowing to the constitutional concept that a treaty is the
supreme law of the land, has exempted the properties from real estate
tax assessment; and