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Show Business Acflvif y in Utah . Rose by 15 Last Year IUmiu'ss activity In Utah surged nhead last year, nc-citrding nc-citrding to an alinlyis prepar-fd prepar-fd by Utah Foundation, the private research organization. Total salt's volumes, as measured mea-sured by state sales tax col-h-ctions, were up approximately approxi-mately M per cent during each of the first throe quarters quar-ters of the year. The Christ-ma Christ-ma season produced an especially es-pecially strong volume of business, bus-iness, the ast quarter registering regis-tering a 17 per cent gain over 1 the same period in l'.rZO. For the entire year, business activity ac-tivity in Utah was up over 1970 by 15 per cent. An important factor in the increased sales volume for last year, of course, was tne impact of higher prices on retail purchases. The Foundation Foun-dation report observes that tho consumer's price index rose by 4.3 per cent in 1971, a rate somewhat below the 5.9 per cent increase recorded record-ed in 1970. When allowance is made for the reduced purchasing pur-chasing power of the dollar, the effective sale volume increase, in-crease, expressed in terms of constant dollars, amounted am-ounted to 10.2 per cent last year. Tne Foundation study points out that business volume in Utah has nearly doubled since 19G0. The increase between 1905 and 1970 was 60 per cent. Much of this rise is due to inflation. When sales volumes are adjusted for changes in the consumers price index, the total increase between 19G0 and 1971 amounts to 45 per cent and the rise between be-tween 1965 and 1971 is 25 per cent. Foundation analysts note that Salt Lake County ac counts for more than one-half one-half the total sale volume in Utah. Salt Lake City proper is responsible for about 55 per cent of the county total and 3o per cent of the total sales for the state. During recent years ther? has been a shift of business away from the central business busi-ness districts to suburban shopping centers. In 1971, for example, business volume in Salt Lake City grew by only 9.7 per cent, compared with a 15.0 per cent growth rate for the entire state. During the period between 19C5 and 1971, the business growth, rate was only about two-thirds two-thirds for the state as a whole. Business volume in suburban Murray, on the other oth-er hand, jumped 57 per cent in 1971 and has tripled since 1905. The study by 1311 Foun- , dation shows the sales volumes vol-umes in 27 Utah counties and 22 selected cities for 1905, 1970, and 1971 along with .an index of business activity for these local units during the period 1905 through 1971. These data were derived from reported sales of goods and services subject to the Utah sales and use tax laws. ThiH tax applies to most retail sales of tangible personal property, meals, admissions, and many services, such as utility charges, repairs, hotel and motel t bills, laundry, ceaning, , etc. |