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Show SfateHouse Reporf... Record Breaking Tax Collection ' May Reduce State Property Levy by e. siiarp 1 Record breaking tax collections collec-tions by the State Tax Commission Com-mission assure full funding of the $6.6 million building pro- i gram enacted by the budget session of the Legislature and may make possible a slight reduction in the state property proper-ty tax levy next fall. Members ef the Legislative Budget-Audit Committee Mar. 2 favored salting away any surplus for use in future building buil-ding programs. Leo Memmott, legislative analyst, said the surplus beyond be-yond estimates made by the committee last January now stands at $4.74 million from income, sales, and cigarette taxes and from liquor profits. Exceeds Full Year Vernon L. Holman, Tax Commission chairman, announced an-nounced that the commission collected $45.46 million last month for the biggest tax month in state history. This, exceeded all collections made by the Tax Commission for the full year of 1951. The $45.46 million taxes collected col-lected by the commission in February included $3.6 million mil-lion local option sales tax which is turned back to counties coun-ties and cities. The $181.23 million state taxes collected since last July 1 is a 9.3 per cent increase in-crease over collections for the corresponding period a year ago. Filing Dates Soon The political pot is beginning begin-ning to steam up as the filing, period for candidates for office of-fice April 15 to May 15 -r approaches. Gov. Calvin L. Rampton, who is prebing his chances to break the third term jinx, still is resisting efforts of newsmen and politicians to obtain an announcement. On a Public Pulse program of Radio Station KSL March 2 he replied to a charge by Republican State Chairman Kent Shearer that Rampton is trying to "dump" Secy, of State Clyde L. Miller from the ticket next fall. Suports Miller Rampton replied that whether whe-ther he is a candidate for governor go-vernor or not, he still will support Miller for secretary) of state. The secretary of state as heir-apparent to the governor, occupies a key spot on the ticket. State Treasurer Golden Gol-den L. Allen now is seeking the Republican nomination. Others mentioned for that spat) are D. James Cannon, a former for-mer Republican candidate for governor, and James L. Barker, Bar-ker, Jr., Salt Lake City commissioner. com-missioner. House Speaker Richard C. Howe, D-Murray, at a KBYlf press conference March 3, said he believes Rampton has done such a good job and enjoys such bi-partisan support sup-port that he has an excellent chance for reelection. Senate President Haven J. Barlow, R-Layton, apparing on the same program, disagreed. dis-agreed. He said Rampton would not have nearly as good an image today if he had not had to work with a conservative conserva-tive Legislature. Kennecott Case Barlow cited the recent State Supreme Court decision that Kennecott Copper Corp. will have to pay $10 to $12 million for past years' corporation corpor-ation franchise tax. The Republicans, he said, wisely defeated a Rampton-sponsored Rampton-sponsored increase in mine occupation (severance) tax which would have affected only Kennecott. Incidentally, Kennecott's petition pe-tition for a rehearing of the tax case has still to be acted upon by the state court. In the event the state refuses to rehear ,the cast is expected to go to the U. S. Supreme Court. Shearer has cited Sen. W. Hughes Brockbank, 56, and Salt Lake County Commissioner Commis-sioner William E. Dunn, 45, as front runners for the Republican Re-publican nomination for gov- ii l k ii r eniur now umi nay. ueu. Vernon B. Romney has taken himself out of the race. "Sacrificial Lamb?" Democratic sources say that Brockbank is slated to be the, "sacrificial lamb" to run against ag-ainst Rampton. He then is promised the nomination to succeed U. S. Sen. Wallace F. Bennett who will be 7fi when his term expires in 1974, these sources claim. L. A. Young Sons Construction Construc-tion Co., Richfield, made the low bid of $1,896,966 to build a iy2 mile section of U-10 from Ferron south to Muddy Creek. This bid exceeds the eslu mate of $1,827,000 made by the State Highway Department Depart-ment but is within the 10 per cent overage allowed by the Federal Highway administration. administra-tion. Both the new and the old sections are over Mancos shale which permits shifting, cracking and separation of any highway or structure. New materials will be used to minimize the damage. The . present winding, narrow nar-row section will be replaced with a 34 foot wide highway including two 12 foot lanes and five foot shoulders. It is to be completed in 200 working work-ing days. |
