Dukakis Predicts Tax Compromise

Reaction on Beacon Hill was mixed yesterday after Gov. Michael S. Dukakis said that he is confident the House will forge a compromise on a new tax package before Christmas.

Dukakis' statement came in the wake of an announcement by Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard A. Voke (D-Chelsea) that the committee will not develop a replacement for Friday's ill-fated tax bill.

The House rejected a proposal that day by Speaker George Keverian '53 for a 50 percent increase in the capital gains tax, even after the speaker agreed not to make the increase retroactive for this fiscal year. After the 94-64 defeat, Keverian (D-Everett) retracted his $1 billion tax package from the floor.

Commenting on the bill's defeat, Dukakis said yesterday, "It's not an easy vote for members of the legislature to make, but if we were just elected to cast easy votes there would be no reason to send us up to Beacon Hill."

Still, he expressed hope that a compromise can be reached before the holidays.

"Now's the time to do it," Dukakis said. "We all want to go home for Christmas and have a good Christmas with our families and make sure the citizens of this state enjoy their holiday. The next week is going to be crucial."

But House leaders were skeptical that compromise will be reached soon. Some said Dukakis should play a greater role in the process, but many other legislators argued that House should take the lead itself.

Dukakis and Keverian spoke over the weekend and said they plan to consult other officials this morning to effect a compromise.

Voke has insisted that Dukakis take the lead in working toward an agreement, saying legislative quarreling has created a "crisis of confidence."

"People have lost faith in government," Voke said.

AAA Distributes Membership Survey

In an attempt to assess the needs and cultural composition of its burgeoning membership, the Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association (AAA) began distributing the first-ever survey to members this weekend.

The surveys, included in packets for all Asian-American Cultural Week events, ask members to comment on Asian-Americans' perceptions of their place at Harvard and on the difference in needs between those who recently immigrated to the U.S. and those whose families have lived here for several generations.

Responses to the survey will help steer the organization in developing new workshops, seminars and cultural events, said AAA Co-President Arlene M. Mayeda '91.

Mayeda said that in recent years, the organization has grown increasingly diverse with the influx of more members from Korea, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Members number approximately 400 this year, said David S. Chiu '91, AAA co-president.

This is the first time that a formal survey has been conducted, Chiu said.

"It would be great if we could get 50 surveys back," said Mayeda. She said that in past years the group has used a suggestion box to solicit comment, but water damage to AAA's office made that tactic impossible.