Robertson Urges Tax Aid for City Project Donors

Addressing mayors of the nation’s financially pressed cities, GOP presidential contender Pat Robertson on Tuesday proposed a 10% income tax credit for contributions to “officially authorized” urban projects.

The television evangelist told the U.S. Conference of Mayors that his proposal to help the cities meet their needs at a time of federal aid cutbacks would give citizens and businesses who contributed “a new sense of pride” in the projects they backed. He estimated that his tax credit scheme could bring the cities as much as $70 billion a year.

Robertson’s talk to a breakfast session of the mayors was one of eight appearances at this three-day meeting by presidential candidates hoping to impress the mayors and gain media attention.

Other Candidates on Hand

Also on hand Tuesday was another Republican presidential candidate, former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV, who reiterated his call for welfare reform and mandatory drug testing for teen-agers. Two Democratic hopefuls also appeared: Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr., who castigated the Reagan Administration for what he called its failure to deal adequately with the threat of AIDS, and Delaware Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., who reviewed his proposals for aiding young victims of poverty.

Three other Democratic contenders, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt and Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, spoke here Monday. One other, Illinois Sen. Paul Simon, is scheduled to speak today, along with Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who is considering entering the race.

The appearances here of these candidates, most of them little known nationally, reflects their eagerness to gain exposure for their views. For Robertson, such occasions are particularly important because they give him the opportunity to demonstrate that his experience and interest extend beyond the realm of religion.

But so far none of the candidates have swept the mayors off their feet. New York Mayor Edward I. Koch said Tuesday that many mayors support his idea that they withhold presidential endorsements until the candidates address key urban issues, such as the loss of federal revenue sharing.

“Who among the candidates will speak on our behalf? Who, so far, has addressed the needs of cities? Those candidates have yet to come forward,” Koch said.

Chicago Mayor Harold Washington joined Koch in calling for more direct federal aid to city governments, which both Democratic and Republican candidates are soft-pedaling in the name of fiscal responsibility.

In propounding his tax credit plan to help finance city projects, which he said could range from “a sewer plant to a cultural center,” Robertson contended that it would be more efficient and less costly than direct federal aid.

“I do not think the mayors of our nation should be coming like mendicants, hat in hand, to the federal government asking for your share of money that’s already been taken from your communities and taken to Washington,” Robertson declared.

Koch said that he needed time to study Robertson’s proposal before commenting on it. But Robertson rival Du Pont had a quick and negative response. He pointed out that last year’s tax overhaul law had eliminated most such special tax credits, and he said that the new law should be given time to work “before we begin nibbling away at the edges.”

In his own address, Du Pont said that instead of asking for more federal funds, the mayors “should challenge the federal government to focus on the causes of the problems” they deal with regularly, specifically the welfare system and drug abuse.

Gore, who received a warm reception from his home state Democratic partisans in the audience, was the only presidential contender to refer to AIDS as an urban problem. “Not since (Herbert) Hoover has a President done less when he should have known better,” Gore said.

He called for increased spending on research to develop a vaccine and a cure, along with greater emphasis on public education, improved testing, international cooperation and financing care for AIDS victims.

Biden urged the mayors to rally public support to deal with the problems of poor children. “Today, for the first time in American history, children are the poorest among us,” he said.

He proposed free medical care for all poor children under the age of 12, doubling the size of the Head Start preschool program and increasing federal education grants for poor youths.