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Show t Tax deductions: How much locally? Residents of Box Elder county, who are busy assembling their 1974 income and expense figures in preparation for their annual encounter with Uncle Sam, will be interested to know how their deductible expenditures compare with the average. Were their charitable donations larger or smaller than those made by most other people in their income category? Were their deductions for medical expenses and for local taxes higher or lower? Some information on this subject, of help to those who itemize their deductions, comes from the Commerce Clearing House, an authority on taxes and business law, based upon data from the Internal Revenue service. Table Shows Average It has prepared a table that shows just how much the average taxpayer in each income class has been deducting for contributions, interest charges, local taxes and medical costs. It shows that, in general, families throughout the country that have earnings corresponding to the Box Elder county average have been deducting a total of $2,870, equivalent to 24 percent of their Large and growing larger gross income. Although families with low incomes have smaller deductions, in actual dollars, than more affluent families have, it represents a bigger proportion of their total income. The range is from 18 percent of income, for those in the top brackets, to 39 percent for those at the other end of the scale. Total Deductions Elder county families with gross earnings of $12,500, for example, will come to about $2,850 if they conform with the average for that income. Those at the $8,500 level will be deducting around $2,350, the Commerce Clearing House figures show. Of the $2,870 in total deductions taken by most families whose incomes approximate the Box Elder county average, $356 is for contributions, $1,038 for interest on instalment debt and on other obligations, $1,040 for local taxes and $436 for medical and dental expenses. These are purely guideline figures, it is noted, and are not automatically accepted by the Internal Revenue service. Proper records must be available to support them. The total deductions of Box , for distinct from their normal operating expenses. month-to-mont- BE The amount of money that is entering Box Elder county each month via the social security route is large and is growing larger. It has become an important element in the local economy. Its growth is due to changes made in the social security law in the last few years, year averaged $1,872 per recipient, considerably more than the $1,285 paid them three years ago. The amount of cash flowing into the local area was increased primarily during the past year by the 11 percent boost in benefits that went into effect. affecting the number of beneficiaries and the size of their checks. According to the official figures covering the past year, retirement and disability payments are now going to 3,270 persons in the area, as compared with 2,950 three years ago. The majority of them are retired workers. Most of the others are disabled workers, widows or dependent children. Final Hike of Its Kind That is expected to be the final adjustment of the kind. Hereafter any escalations are to be related to increases in the cost of living, as determined by the Consumer Price Index. The first application of it came in July, when higher prices resulted in an automatic hike of eight percent. The government report shows that overall payments to Box Elder county residents during 1974 totaled $6,120,000 a marked increase over the $3,792,000 that went to them three years ago. As for contributions to the fund, the payroll tax continues at 5.85 percent for workers and for employers. It is being applied, however, on earnings up to $14,100, rather than on $13,200, as was the case last year. In Annual Report The facts and figures, with a breakdown for each county in the United States, are contained in the annual report of the Social estimate The price off a $20 Sweater... ...if it's taken by a shoplifter, its high! First, the shoplifter can be sued by the merchant for the price of the sweater, plus court costs, attorneys fees and more. And the merchant keeps the sweater. Then the shoplifter can face criminal prosecution and a police record that may close the door to good jobs, an education, families was locally. was due to inflation. h Based on Surveys is based upon sampling surveys that were conducted in all parts of the country by the Department of Commerce and upon data from industry sources. The finding is that the average amount spent by homeowners in Box Elder countys regional area during the year for upkeep and improvement was approximately $383 per dwelling unit, as against $366 nationally. In 1970, by way of comparison, only $295 The Brigham City, Utah Thursday, September 25, 1975 important in local economy Security administration. It shows that more than $60 billion was paid out in the past year to the nearly 31 million people who were eligible to receive benefits. In Brer KtHnr rniintv, payments for the Income goes up BOX ELDER JOURNAL, Social security Exceeds national norm Home improvement is the order of the day in Box Elder county. Because of the high cost of new housing, the scarcity of mortgage money and economic conditions in general, many local families who had been thinking about buying new homes have apparently given up the idea for the present and are turning, instead, to sprucing up their present ones. As a result, they have been putting a record amount of money into alterations, additions and repairs. The figures indicate that their expenditures for such purposes came to a total of $2,927,000 in the past year. This is f Part even loans. The price of a $20 sweater? ifted, it's too high. ol the increase If it's shopl- in the prior year. As- - for property owners in Box Elder county, how did they spend their $2,927,000 portion of this total? In general, a breakdown of the overall figures shows, about 57 percent of the expenditures was for additions, alterations and major replacements. The other 43 percent was for maintenance and repairs. By far, the biggest item in this category was house painting, interior and exterior. It was followed by plumbing, roofing, heating and air conditioning. those who For some homeowners went in for major repairs and imthe outlay ran much higher provements than average. Others, who may are done considerable overhauling a yeai or two earlier, did little this time. $18.9 Billion Nationally Nationally, the Department of Commerce reports, no less than $18.9 billion was expended in the past year for the upkeep and improvement of residential properties. This was $1.4 billion more than GGSXIUISGK uC0 S22GS) it EMU sME8 4 AND REMNANT 45 Just Received Large Shipment and More Coming Designer lengths 50 5 cotton polyester 50 Acrylic blends Machine washable the fashion colors Save Now! All New shipment! Values to 1.98 993 Sculp Shag Sculp Shag culp Shag REMNANTS REDUCED! 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