OCR Text |
Show SHOW GAIN Utah Taxpayer Publication Raises Question of How, With Decreased Prices, Increased In-creased Taxes Can Be Paid According to the Octoher issue of the- Utah Taxpayer, official organ of the Utah Taxpayers' association, the assessed valuations valua-tions in Utah have dropped from $72S,364,055 in 1930 to $617,94S,S70 in 1931. On the other hand, the annual tax bill of Utah is growing, according to the last available figures for 1929 and 1930. The Taxpayer points out that in 19 29 the annual an-nual tax burden was $25,194,771 and in 1930 nearly $29,000,000 and then raises the question whether or not this will be increased in-creased in 19 31 despite the lowered low-ered valuations. The same issue gives an interesting in-teresting tabulation of commodity commod-ity and produce prices for the last three years. Wheat dropped from $1.03 to 46 cents per bushel between 1929 and 1931; oats from 60 cents to 35 cents per bushel; sheep, average per 100 pounds, from $S.70 to $3.10; potatoes from $1.10 to 4 5 cents per bushel; eggs from 32 cents to 22 cents per dozen; butter from 47 cents to 31 cents per pound and general commodity commod-ity prices (including 550 items) from 96.5 to 70.2. The significant question is then asked as to how the taxpayers, tax-payers, with their decreased ability ab-ility to pay. with the lower costs of the commodities which they are obliged to sell in order to pay their taxes, can bring about a decrease in their tax burden. The recent statement of Governor Gov-ernor Caulfield of Missouri on the subject is quoted as follows: "Officials never will reduce ex- ! peases until the people who provide pro-vide the money force it. It isn't a pleasant thing to do. But I ask that taxpayers all over the state go to their local boards and other bodies responsible for the expenditure of tax money j and insist upon greater eeon- I omy. Only in that way will we ; ever be able to meet this emer- : genoy." I ! The rest of the issue is de- voted to the widely heralded ad- j dress of Orval V. Adams, a member of the general commit- ' toe of the Utah Taxpayers' asso- i clarion, given recently before the i i Western taxpayers at Reno. Nevada, Ne-vada, on "Organized Hffort Its Accomplishments in Tax Control." |