Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-01-18 | Page 4 | Hindrance to State's Welfare

Hindrance to States State's Welfare other day The Telegram commented on onA j. j A I the he decision of George A. A Steiner to remove his is leg legal l residence from om this city to Florida in order to escape what he referred to as siye sive ive taxation This much ought to be said of Mr St Steiner iner who has been a valuable and constructive constructive con con- citizen many citizen many years ago he began buSi business es here liere very humbly building perhaps f far beyond his expectations at the time As a large arge property holder he has made a substantial ti ti l l contribution in taxes to the community I His H S e enterprise has paid as a corporation additional additional addi addi- I addi-I large taxes He is rated as paying one of the highest state individual income taxes The business siness he started with little capital other than vision and vigor a pushcart and an idea has become one of of the city's important undertakings under under- t takings ki a sizable tax value and a large employer employer employer em em- emi i of labor Surely those things cannot go unno unnoticed iced The community should regret his decision and feel a sense of loss It should be betaken betaken betaken taken into account too that the business he started will remain here and make its contribution contri contri- ion to community wel welfare are Now row this is no tearful suggestion that pity and sympathy should flow low to Mr Steiner now domiciled d in Florida Fairly well distributed ted hu human an perversity moves i individuals to concern concern concern con con- cern themselves with their own weal and to toilet let letot ot oth others ers rs carry arry their own loads That is why ve we took occasion to try ty to make clear to all that the tax situation in this state is loaded with dynamite that it invites th the law of diminishing 1 Returns 11 e ns to go to work here that it is based on x mounting costs of government brought about largely to satisfy political greed and group pr pressure for benefits and services under go government gov gov- v- v becoming burdensomely and unwarrantedly unwarrantedly unwar unwar- paternalistic that the poor in reality pil pay the thel uso soak the rich taxes axes and that wise re recommendations of the committee on the cost prelate government have nave gone unheeded by the legislature A Furthermore the threat of the at the state borders to warn outside capital capi capi- t tal 1 not ot to venture into u Utah h t to e. e the recovery of its natural l resources and to process a and ci f fabricate br cate them for market That in itself is is inviting stagnation and decay The greatest poten potential source of taxable wealth in the state treasure and the productive fertility its of-its soil is to lie idle while thousands thou thou- sands of unemployed men look for jobs in vain We are fully conscious us that to Say gay ay this much will wil be regarded in some quarters as a poor advertisement for this 8 state atc and its ti tie Try as we might we c could not hide the facts from rom capital investigating ting opportunities an and hindra hindrances ces as prudent capital always does to do to hide the facts but face the them n and deal with them That some 32 states have have tax situations as bad as as or or worSe worse than ut Utah's cannot be urged in justification just Emotionalism has not prompted any comment com corn n ment on Mr Steiners Steiner's removal to Florida What we have tried to do is to set a con concrete rete case caseI I against the background of f the actions abstractions and distractions in the thc tax structure Taxpayers over the state will have hav to toge get ge a realistic understanding understand- understand ing fug and effect and then d demand mand remedial remedial reme reme- di dial a action tion from the next legislature