Show NOT OVERTAXED nf ATTORNEY SAYS Tells Real Estate Board Results of Unofficial S Survey rv y on cm Coast Ff From m a standpoint 6 Of overhead cX expenses in iii maintaining ho c-ho llO is i's lJ pollee ice and nd fire he VI protection 1 and civic hl necessities SAlt Jake Lako has n i L r op operating cost than any of ot seven w stern comparable size it was stated by Gcorge 11 Backman local attorney at ati a ali alii lii li cheon of the tile Salt Lake real tate late board board Mr lr packman ackman re recently made maJr an of ot this tills nature in Beach Pasadena Sacramento and ald Oakland Okland Ca Cal and Seattle md anti and Denver with a detailed explanation ex ex- of or hl findings There Is much uch h hue e and cry ry to t the effect that Salt Lake Is il overtaxed overtaxed over over- I taxed and that city expenditures are arc not economical but my sity Investigation tI- tI I gation gatlon has ilas shown that actual conditions conditions con eon are aro rc diametrically OPIO I Mr Backman stated In making the the state that statement TIent th t the tile tax rate rat for or these expenditures In Salt Lake is lower than tItan In these cities I have drawn rawn my eon conclusions conclusions' ns from th tile the fact that Salt Lake has 3 a- a 10 lower lover 1 assessed valuation per capita and this I believe is a reasonable assumption assumption assumption as as- for a lower tax rate VALUATION LOW In Salt Lake ake w we arc taxed on In n a aper aper per er capita valuation of approximately 1500 Willie ln in other cities s this valuation is as high as 5 Since the tax on ort these costs is in proportion t to the tile wealth it shows sh that taxes must be lower er In costs of this kind the tax rate is not ot a aVital avital vital Ital factor It It costs A given amount to to educate a child an n it costs a given amount to maintain a police force there thera being little difference whether r r the tile city has baa a or a 2000 o. o population Anti 1 these costs are determined from a aper aper aper per capita capita- standpoint The Investigation I l' l made i fn n no rio wa way official and I am am rot pot making an any kind of at a recommendation tion f fOr fol r Increased expenditures pen I ItIs It H Is 11 i my ri rny Intention n to show only what WIla does docs exist Tile The report tends t to show why we do not have llave better highways and add why we e do co not have ha more police arll fire protection protection this tills what ls-what It intended is-intended to to show HI Ills His findings were based on fre- fre reports re- re ports ot of the United States States' census bure bureau u. u estimates tes of population for Jor 1926 1026 and from statistics published in lit the tile American city magazine for lor forthe the tile last quarter of 1927 An IfAn average of cities with Ith a population of over shows hows that Salt Lake has a lower op- op crating crating- cost for all general Jeneral depart depart- ments ment Expenditures for protection protection tion and sanitation arc mc about half haIr school and nd recreation costs arc higher r while wIllie the tile highway expenditure expendi expendi- ture tUle is less lest than the average DISCLAIMS BIAS O On Oil the the Pacific coast Pasadena with with approximately 5 persons has the his highest per capita wealth an and operating cost ot of any of tIle the western cities visited The per capita wealth is 2137 2137 and und the cost for all departments is 96 Suit Salt Lal Lake c hasa cost of of o only ly 27 2793 2793 dod and dodan nd an assessed wealth of or jl 1415 lUG In Inthis Inthis Inthis this case Pasadena case Pasadena has lias only two two- fifths of the population yet yOt ct the operating costs ate aro double In the case ease of or Seattle th the population population lation Is twice as great greatus a ag that of Salt Lake Laic and the tha operating costs coMs al also o nc nearly double Th The on only y city tin tile the Ia Pacific which compares with Salt SaIt Lake Is Is' Oakland anti ami here It must be remembered that remembered that a largo large percentage per her of oC the population works In San Han Francisco nn San l Francisco Francisco Fran Fran- cisco must proviso proviso- for a greater population atlon than is taxed Yet Oakland Oakland Oakland Oak Oak- land has lias a p per pel r t. t of or 3 Computing ou SIU this basis basi it would appear that Salt Lake could easily bear a an un Iii If lt tile the per capita cost were COSt were ere raised to 3 5 33 the tile II Ia average e for d cities it It- would It-would would mean a approximately ap ai- p- p proximately more for the city Although he Is a member of tile the city zoning commission and the tile board of or education Mr m disclaimed any biased interest in indra dra drawing win his conclusions a and ld declared de tit dared that these thes fad facts are self self- sufficient to toll tell the tiit p stor |