Show Heavy Impact of Taxation on Average Citizen Is Concealed by Hidden Taxes Henry Pearson research director of the Utah foundation addressing the Salt Lake Rotary club the other day declared de de- de dared that last year Americans paid one third one third of their national income in taxes to federal state and local govern govern- ments The proportion of income taken in taxes is just double what it was back in 1930 when a sixth of the national income income income in in- come went for tax taxes s he noted That is one wa way of bringing home hom to the people the problem of taxation taxation- emphasizing the proportion of the national national national na na- na- na which is taken in taxes Another way to bring the tax burden home is to break the dollars and cents tax lax take down to an individual basis The U. U S. S census bureau did that theother the theother other day It said total tax collections by federal state and local governments during the 1947 fiscal year figured outto out outto outto to an average of for each Ameri Amen can Of Ol course most Americans do not di directly di- di directly feel that heavy a tax impact A tax burden of for each individual would mean a burden of 1378 for a family of four four and and few families are paying that much in taxes directly Yet the size of the thc tax burden which the average family bears is much greater than most realize It is not only the taxes one pays directly in the form of property taxes income taxes sales or excise taxes which make up the total individual or family tax burden Avery A Avery Avery very considerable part of the average family's tax burden is hidden in p prices ces One of the major reasons for the high cost of living today is the high cost of government Taxes are a part of the cost of doing business and generally speaking they are included in the thc prices of products and services They are commonly passed on down the line to the last lait man the man the ultimate consumer Mr John Doe Average Citizen Unfortunately most of us do not realize that We Ve think it is the other fello fellow lellow who pays most of f the taxes I simply because we do not directly handover handover hand handover over the money to the tax collector We cant can't see the 20 cents worth of ol taxes which may be concealed i in the dollar price of an item we buy at the store Its It's a serious problem It encourages a feeling that government spending and benefits are arc something for nothing It Iti i inspires extravagance and waste Hidden Hidden Hidden Hid Hid- den taxation is in fact a form of economic economic eco ceo juggling which deludes the people people peo peo- pie and undermines sound democratic government nt |