Show Utah Ranks Ninth in Percentage Of Income Going for Taxes Utah ranks ninth among the fifty states in n the proportion of its personal income going for forstate forstate forstate state and local taxes according according according accord accord- ing to a research report just completed by Utah Foundation the private tax research State and local tax collections In Utah during the 1961 fiscal ye year r million which amount was equal to approximately approximately approximately per cent of the personal income of the state during the preceding calendar year This percentage compares es with per cent for the nation as a whole and per percent percent percent cent for the eight Mountain States According to the report total total total to to- tal state and local tax collections collections In fiscal 1961 were equal to for every man woman and child residing in the state Utah ranked twenty-fourth twenty among among among am am- ong the fifty states by this mea mea- i sure Foundation analysts ob- ob perve erve w ho however ver that of Utah's high percentage of population in the generally nonproductive nonproductive non non- productive age groups under 20 and over 65 per capita taxes taxes taxes tax tax- es do not afford an ao accurate picture of the relative tax burden burden bur bur bur- den of the state In the more meaningful comparison of state I land and local tax per person in the tax producing 64 20 age group Utah ranked thirteenth in the n nation Utah's relative tax burden asa as asa asa a percent of personal income increased slightly from per percent percent percent cent in fiscal 1961 to an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated per cent in fiscal 1962 This rise was attributed b by Utah Foundation analysts to ItO tax changes enacted enacted- by the 1961 Utah Legislature The Foundation study points out that with the exception of gambling taxes Utah imposes every major kind of tax tn levied in the United States Because of this ethis broad tax coverage Utah's overall tax system is very similar to the profile of the composite tax tn structure of the Mountain States and the United United United Unit Unit- ed States Although Utah's tax structure is fairly typical of the region and the nation as a whole the report notes that the States State's spending pattern is markedly different Utah for example devotes devotes de de- de votes a much larger proportion of its state and local spending to education than most other states In fact Utah ranks first among the fifty states in its effort to support education with 47 per cent of its overall state and local budget going for far education education edu edu- cation compared with 39 per percent percent percent cent for the eight Mountain States and 34 per cent for the fifty United States 1 I Foundation analysts observe that the principal factor in Utah's large expenditure for education is the heavy student load highest In the nation for both public schools and end colleges colleges col col- leges as a proportion of tion lion the high tax effort effort ef ef- ef fort for education however expenditures expenditures ex ex- per student In Utah are alC below the national average |