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Show Mmzs goD raolf off Klfejii Mta M3l :' .vi .-va V ) i " 'v. " I! Iff - (- J , b ;IJt; .;' r 1 if J ..J Despite the fact that this was the first billion dollar budget in Utah history, the Legislature was reasonably conservative in arriving at a spending program for the 1977-78 fiscal year. This was the conclusion reached in a fiscal analysis of the 1977 legislative session just prepared by Utah Founation, the private governmental re search organization. The study shows that Utah was able to balance Its budget bud-get for the coming years and still provide some tax relief especially to the elderly poor. Altogether, the tax changes made should save Utahns up to $8.2 million next year. Among the taxes reduced re-duced were the inheritance tax, the sales tax on res idential heating and lighting bills, and the property tax paid by low -income elderly home owners and renters. On the other hand, because of changes made last year, the unemployment tax paid by employers will rise this year. State spending programs authorized for the 1977-78 fiscal year will total nearly $1,016,000,000. According to the Foundation report, this amount is about $67.4 million mil-lion more than the amount ap -proved for the current (1976-1977) (1976-1977) fiscal year. Most of the new spending authorized for next year is for education,with increased amounts also going for social service programs and for state employee salary adjustment. ad-justment. The study notes that next year's appropriations approp-riations were cut substantial ly, but the current year transportation authorizations authori-zations had. been inflated somewhat by the release of TRAP SHOOTERS: The local Beaver Club got the season sea-son underway with a shoot last week. Pictured are: Kenneth Bowden, Chad Johnson, James Robinson, Wally Greggerson, Dean Gillies and Karl Miller. Not in order. Photo by Osborn previously -Impounded Federal Fed-eral funds for highway purposes. pur-poses. The approved legislative program calls for a budget that will leave a razor -thin balance of only $139,000 at the close of the 1977-78 fiscal year. Foundation analysts an-alysts observe that this could pose a problem if revenue collections fail to reach the rather optimistic estimates employed in achieving the balance. It was pointed out, however, that the Legislature Legisla-ture did leave itself a cushion when it placed $5,000,000 into a reserve fund to be used for emergency emer-gency drought purposes, if and when needed. A total of 954 bills and res -olutions were considered by the 1977 Utah Legislature. Of these, 369 were approved by both Houses. The Governor, Gov-ernor, however, vetoed 15 of the enacted bills after the Legislature had adjourned, leaving 354 measures that will finally become law. |
