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Show Page B8 Thursday, March 29, T990 Park Record Telephone company chastised for rate hike by ROBIN PORTER Record staff writer Editor's note: Microfilm copies of the Park Record are on file at the Park City Library. Ask a librarian for help with the machine. 100 Years Ago Greedy corporations: Calling it "outrageous extortion," a Record editorial chastised the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company in 1890 for a 33 percent rise in phone rates for Salt Lake City. The company hadn't raised Park City Ci-ty rates, as yet, and the paper challenged, "should the telephone company resort to extortionate rates here it would, we believe, have the effect of very perceptibly decreasing decreas-ing the company's revenues." A Record editorialist blamed the Salt Lake City Council for rolling over: "The next time the municipal council of Salt Lake grants a franchise fran-chise to any corporation which renders public service, it ought to reserve the right to prevent such From Time to Time corporations charging extortionate rates for the service they render." Park Float: Henry Dorrity purchased J.G. Watson's ranch (below town), and would take possession the following Monday. "The consideration was $5,000." The electric light went out for several minutes at a time Monday and Tuesday evenings, and where no oil lamps were kept in reserve everything was left in darkness. The cause was the disabling of the machinery at the station, but the company hope to advert any more trouble like this. As fast as possible the electric light plant is being duplicated and when this is done a break down will shut off the light but a second and probably not at all. Sing and Swing say, 'don't call me madam': Charges against two Chinese Parkites for keeping a house of ill- ar rivals Sheena Kerr and Lou Dragtheoldbitch are pleased to announce the adoption of their twins-Tyrone twins-Tyrone Washington and Crystal Light Born-sometime Born-sometime this winter Weight Tyrone now a strapping 18 pounds 3 ounces and Crystal a delicate 7 pounds 2 ounces The pair came home March 25 on Sheena's 39th birthday. Brother Nick and Sister McKalay are adjusting well to their new siblings. repute were dismissed when prosecutors pro-secutors didn't show up for their court date. When Record staff asked the city why the no-show, adjudicators said, "After fully considering the subject the Aldermen and also the city attorney at-torney decided that it would be better bet-ter to let the appeal go by default as far as the city was concerned rather than to fight it at considerable cost and probably get worsted at the finish of the legal battle." So Sue Lee Sing and Gong Swing, convicted a year earlier on "weak evidence" appealed forcing the Third District Court to show their hand and walked away. Women wear gilded cages: A Record article warned, "no woman admits that tight lacing injures in-jures her; it is some other woman. The worship of fashion has become so intense and the appearance of a rival's shape arouses such a spirit of emulation, that our women continue to squeeze themselves in steel bands to such a degree that the functions of the body can no longer go on normally, normal-ly, ending in slow disease. Health is sacrificed for a spider waist. Scientific doctors have been preaching against these evils time out of mind, but the headway against them is slow. The academies and colleges for women, however, are getting to be more alive to the importance im-portance of the pupil's health: The better class of institutions are equipped equip-ped with gymnasiums, and provided with swimming pools and other means for developing the body and preventing the health from breaking down. 50 Years Ago Miner gets nailed: From the Record's Park Float column, col-umn, Bob Welsh, an employee of the Silver King Coalition, had the misfortune to run a nail In his foot Monday evening while at work. Bob is now planning on a two weeks "rest on crutches." Seventh graders tour Salt Lake: Principal McCusker and teachers Messrs. Morby and Peterson, traveled travel-ed to Salt Lake City with two classes, studying Utah history. But the sight that most of the students enjoyed most was an ostrich consuming whole oranges in "one grand gulp" .at Liberty Park. 25 Years Ago Mr. Utah Power and Light George Butler and Mr. U.S. Postmaster Jack Green took leaves of absences, simultaneously heading for a Salt Lake hospital. "It's a lonesome corner, cor-ner, down at the Post Office and Utah Power and Light," the Record commented on the "odd situaton." They were admitted for a back injury in-jury and an illness, respectively. The Senior class of 1965 planned their Senior Day around a trip to a Southern Utah dude ranch. Each student was to pay $5 to participate. 10 Years Ago Senior check-up program proposed: propos-ed: City Councilman Tom Shellenbergr suggested the city adopt a service insuring that Park City's older or alone citizens are kept healthy and happy. In 1980, he said there were 46 seniors living alone in Park City, and 17 who had no way in or out of their homes during winter. An active organizer, Teri Poison (now Record editor, Teri Orr), told the group at the Senior Citizen's Center, that each person would have a specific time to call the check-in location, if they elected to participate. The program pro-gram was to be modeled after a similar Salt Lake City service. y mum . 00 Imagine being talked about on over 1,025 different TV stations, 8,970 radio stations, 1,645 daily newspapers and premier publications circulating to over 3,154,000 sports-loving homes. Prime visibility across the nation. These statistics add up to over a $90 million advantage the Utah Jazz is giving our area. At Utah Power, we're proud to supply sup-ply the essential electricity. And we're also proud to supply that electricity at rates which have been decreasing...mak-ing decreasing...mak-ing the future very bright...for the state ...for new industry...for new jobs... for all of us. At UP&L we keep the Jazz in a spotlight spot-light with dependable, efficient electricity. We have n,. "pwer luiM finnnnnpno happen. Consumer excise taxes encourage lawl breaking by DAVID F.VITE Most consumers will search for the best price on a product they buy frequently. This may entail going to a different market or an outlet mall to compare, but certainly not to another state. However, this, too, has become a practice of consumers, con-sumers, and one that has become so popular, it's hurting the state itself. The problem that I am talking about is bootlegging, and the root of the problem is inconsistent state consumer excise taxes on products such as tobacco, gasoline and alcohol. States that levy higher excise ex-cise taxes on such products create an incentive for bootlegging. The overall results: declines in state retail sales, jobs and tax revenue. And whether petty or major in scale, everyone seems to be doing it these days. The reality of bootlegging is that the very state government that is looking for increased revenue takes the loss in the end. For example, Illinois, which levies a 30 cent-per-pack state consumer excise tax on cigarettes, has experienced ex-perienced a surge in bootlegging. The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates a loss of up to $13 million in tax revenue annually. One truckload carrying 500 cases of bootleg cigarettes can result in a potential tax loss of $188,000 to the state. However, when you look at Illinois' Il-linois' border states and compare their per-pack taxes Kentucky (3 cents), Missouri (13 cents) and In-dianna In-dianna (15.5 cents) the motivation is clear. And two-thirds of Illinois' population is concentrated in seven border counties. Similarly, in Florida, a significant part of the estimated $125 million annual an-nual sales of non-tax-paid cigarettes are bootlegged. This comes as no surprise when you consider that North Carolina levies a 2 cent-per-pack tax as opposed to 24 cents in Florida. Bootleggers make incredible incredi-ble profits: 22 cents per pack, $2.20 per carton and $132 per case of 60 cartons. A semi-truck holding 560 cases could bring in $73,920. And price disparities between California and other states -can range as high as 33 cents per pack, $3.30 per carton, $198 per case.' By avoiding the taxes, bootleggers can make a profit of nearly $200,000 per load on a semi-tractor-trailer rig V. The list continues Minnesota recently joined 13 other states to set up a telephone hotline to combat growing tobacco bootlegging. However, law enforcement efforts to curtail the cross-border activities remain ineffective. It is increasingly difficult ? to understand why state budgeters, who should know that tobacco tax increases in-creases represent a poor long-term choice as a revenue raiser, continue to enact them. Consumption is. not growing, but bootlegging is. Tobacco retailers and distributors have repeatedly told legislatures that such activities would increase as long as consumer excise taxes continue con-tinue to rise. And facts have borne this out. '.. Further, study after study has shown that consumer excise taxes on cigarettes are unfair, hitting the lower- and middle-class families the hardest. Those who can least afford it can carry the greatest share of this tax burden. Lawmakers need to go back to the drawing board and take a second look at their consumer excise taxes. David F. Vite is president of the Illinois Il-linois Retail Merchants Association, one of the largest state retail associations in the United States. Common tax errors you can avoid The Utah State Tax Commis sion sees many of the same errors er-rors again and again errors that slow the processing of ? returns and delay refunds.. Last , year the Tax Commission" saw' -! 144,000 of them. ? : i . .( Here are some common errors to avoid: 1. Incomplete return. You forgot something. Be sure to double-check before you mail your return. 2. Error in determining tax. Use a ruler on the tax table to help you find your tax for the short form (the first column is for ' zero dependents on the short- v form table); double-check your :mathon the long form. 1 1 Ybr name or your spouse's name doesn't match your Social Security number(s). 4. Error in computing Utah Taxable Income. 5. No Social Security number ! and filing status for spouse. 6. Error in computing net re-5, fund amount. 7. Filing status married joint ; but no spouse exemption. BOG OBEPIEJCi; . 71 f; f-, New Classes $ on Tuesdays Starting April 1 0 Deadline April 4 Times 6:00 pm-Puppys 7:00 pm-Beginners t 8:00 pm-Advanced Fee $35 Local $28 Park City Recreation Dept. 649-8080 2Q Sharon Pain Jess Reid 30 Jeanette Mapstone Kim Christians Steve Florio Michael Ayers Barbara Kemp Jess Reid 31 J.D. Chrlstensen Malla Brown George West Kathirn Swenson Christopher Coyle Jess Reid 3 Nancy Nipkow Dennis Miller Richard Dock Jesa Reid Cliff Martinez Martha Baird Barbara Dyer Margaret Van Wagoner Sally Chestnut Charlotte Lanvers Lisa Weinberger Jess Reid Melanie Decker Alicia Christians ' ' Brooke McDonald Michael Walker Don Garnas JoEllen Murphy Sean Smith Jamie Brown Jess Reid 4 Enzo Mileti Michael Watts Tom Catanzarite Jess Reid A Division ol PaclfiCorp L.rfft frt il jp. 0k- f mlm . am.m. 0 |