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Show Comp. News. lile B.ox 6310 r ' Lincoln, Neb. 60506 Business activity rose 313 in Moab during last year Business volume in Moab increased in-creased by 31.3 percent in 1977 according to an analysis just released by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization. Gross business volume throughout the entire state rose by 17 percent last year. The study shows that gross sales in Moab measured by local sales tax collections, amounted to $36,459,000 during 1077. This compares with total business activity of $27,768,000 in 1976, $23,397,000 in 1975, $16,565,000 in 1970, and $9,945,000 in 1965. Foundation analysts point out that a substantial part of the increased dollar sales volume during recent years has been due to inflation. When adjustments are made for the reduced purchasing power of the dollar, the effective increase in sales volume during 1977 was equal to 9.9 percent. Adjusted effective gains throughout through-out Utah amounted to 7.8 percent in 1976, 2.6 percent in 1975, and only 0.7 percent during the recession year of 1974. Population growth is another factor accounting for increased business activity during recent years. In the 1970 to 1977 period, Utah's population rose at an average rate of 2.5 percent per ' year, compared with a national growth rate of 0.9 percent per year. During the 1960 to 1970 decade, the average population gain was 1.7 percent per year in Utah and 1.3 percent per year throughout the United States. Utah's economy has been performing per-forming much better than the economy for the nation as a whole during recent years. The report indicates that the adjusted effective sales volume gain of 9.9 percent in Utah last year was more than twice as great as the adjusted persona! consumption expenditure increase of 4.7 percent recorded throughout the U. S. in 1977. Utah's average increase of 7.4 percent per year adjusted sales volume during the 1970-1977 period also was double the average rise of 3.7 percent per year in adjusted personal consumption consump-tion expenditures throughout the nation. The study observes that this pattern of the past seven years is an almost direct reversal of the ; experience in the 1960's when business activity in Utah was growing at a much slower pace than that of the nation as a whole. Between 1960 and 1970, the average growth in Utah's adjusted sales volume was 2.8 percent per ' year. This was well below the -average increase in adjusted personal consumption expenditures of 4.0 percent per year throughout the U. S. during this same period. The Foundation report shows that more than 50 percent of all business activity in Utah is concentrated in Salt Lake County with nearly half of the Salt Lake County total emanating from Salt Lake City proper. During recent years, however, there has been a considerable shifting of business activity away from the larger cities, such as Salt Lake City, to the newer suburban areas. Business activity in Salt Lake City, for example, has grown at a much slower pace than that of Salt Lake County and the State as a whole. Between 1965 and 1977, gross sales in Salt Lake City rose 162 percent, compared with increases of 241 percent throughout the Salt Lake County and 257 percent in Utah. |
