| Show Utah Rates in Local Tax Burden Largest Educational Load in Nation Utah ranked among the fifty states in the proportion of its personal Income going for forstate forstate forstate state and local taxes during the fiscal year year ended June 30 1967 This fact was pointed out in a study of state and local taxes and expenditures just completed ed by Utah Foundation the private private vate tax research organization The Foundation report shows that Utah collected million In state and local taxes in fiscal fiscal fis cal 1967 This sum was equal to 12 1238 38 per cent of total personal income and was approximately equal to the Mountain States average of 1242 per cent but was well above the US U.S. average average average aver aver- age of 11 1105 OS per cent ACCORDING to the report the Western States generally have an overall state and local tax burden that is somewhat higher than that in other sections sections sec sec sec- of the nation The relative tax burden in the Western States is approximately 15 per cent above the average for the nation Every Everyone one of the eleven Western States had a relative state and local tax burden greater great great- er than the national average Foundation analysts attribute the generally higher tax burden in the West to the fact that the West is less highly developed industrially industrially in in- and that the West places much more emphasis on education especially public education education ed ed- than most other sections sec sec- sections of the country PRELIMINARY data compiled ed by the Utah Foundation indicate indicate in in- that Utah's relative tax position among the Mountain States remained largely unchanged unchanged un un- changed between the 1967 and 1968 fiscal years In fiscal 1968 state and local taxes were equal to 12 1247 47 per cent of personal income income in in- come in Utah compared with an average of 12 1252 52 per cent inthe in inthe inthe the eight Mountain States The Foundation study noted however that the nature of the tax system often can be more important in determining future economic growth than the aggregate aggregate ag ago tax load itself For this reason most states during recent recent re re- cent years have shied awn away from taxes which might restrict restrict future e economic development IN COMPARING specific taxes with other states Utah appears appears ap ap- pears to be moderate in the property property pro pro- perty tax and the sales tax but high in the individual income tax Utah derives a larger proportion proportion pro pro- portion of its total state and local taxes from levies on income income income in in- come and production than the Mountain States average of the United States as a whole The fiscal dilemma facing Utah along with most of the theother theother theother other states of the nation in pursuing their industrial development development deve deve- objectives is that they must maintain average tax levels in order to meet tax competition competition com com- petition while at the same time respond to legitimate needs for expenditures in order to meet public service competition UTAH DEVOTES a much larger larger lar lar- lar ger proportion of its total state and local spending to education than to other states of the nation The Foundation report explains that this emphasis on education is a reflection of the extremely large number of children to be educated by the State Utah has the largest overall educational educational load in the nation This stress placed d on education education tion in Utah has forced some limitations in other areas of state and local services Utah allocates a smaller proportion of its state and local spending for such activities activities' as welfare health and hospitals police and fire protection sanitation etc than do most ost other states |
