Show Utah Ranks Tenth in Tax Burden Foundation Report Points Out I I Utah ranks ranka among the 43 48 states In hi Its relative state and local tax burden This was the conclusion reached by Utah Foundation Foundation Foun dation the private nonprofit tax tu research organization According to the Foundation estimates 1054 percent of all personal Income earned by people people peo pea pie from Utah last year went for tor forstate forstate state and local taxes This figure compares with per cent for tor forthe forthe the nation as a whole The study notes that the relative relative relative rela rela- tive tax burdens In all alt of the eleven Western States are higher than the average for the entire nation For all eleven Western States state and local taxes amounted to per cent of total to tal tal- tal personal income The corresponding corres corres- pending figure for the t eight Mountain states was 1033 per cent Principal reason for the higher state and local l tax burden In Utah and the other Western States according to the Utah Foundation report Js' Js the relatively relatively rela greater emphasis placed on public education In the west Five Ut Utah h New Mexico Arizona I Montana and Wyoming of theten theten the theten ten states In the nation making the greatest relative effort to support public education were Mountain States Two of the theother theother theother other Mountain States Idaho and Colorado were ranked and respectively In relative ef ef- ef- ef fort The report states that total expenditures expenditures ex ex- for education as a percent of personal Income payments payments pay pays ments was per cent In the Mountain States tat sand and In the eleven Western States last year Throughout the United States total total to to- tal tat educational expenditures were equal to per cent of personal personal per per- personal Income Foundation analysts observe that Utah ranks first among all 48 states In the percent of personal per per- personal Income spent for education Total educational expenditures local schools higher education and other was equal to percent per percent percent cent of ot personal Income earned by last year This perc percentage percentage n- n tage Is nearly 80 per cent higher than the relative educational expenditures expenditures expenditures ex ex- for the entire nation The Utah Foundation study points out that the relatively greater expenditures for education educatIon tion in I Utah are due primarily to the high proportion of the population population population lation enrolled In the public schools and colleges the rela rely relatively relatively low personal Income status status status sta sta- sta- sta and the emphasis' emphasis placed onI on education by the citizenry of the I state I |