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Show LOMOND BEACON BEN November 20, 1 978 Page 2 SalesTaxIssue IBEOCDO Pleasant Viw Mayo comm unitys voice The Ben Lomond Beacon is published each for each week's issue is Deadlines Thursday. 5 at We welcome all articles p.m. Monday from those who wish to contribute. Business office is 5388 So. 1900 W., Roy, Utah Phone 825-166- 6. J. Howard Stahle Publisher Mrs. Bonnie Stahle Keith Duncan. Car ol Shaw KnsEwert. . . Ad Manager Editor, 825-619- ....... . 7 Editors Note: The following is a letter written by Mayor Peary B. Barker of Pleasant View to the 7 82 8 1 1 6 Correspondent, Plain City Correspondent, -- 731-327- 6 Governor of Utah, Scott M. Matheson. The letter concerns itself with the Sales Tax Distribution to Counties and Cities. Your Honor and Fellow Citizens: The following observations, facts, are figures and recommendations given for your consideration. After lengthy observation, study, research, and discussions with many Mayors, County Commissioners and Hatch Earns Honor other wise and responsible administrators, It is my humble reasoning that the present law which gives the sales tax to counties and cities on Point of Collection is not fair or just. It has the appearance of legal confiscation of property from the citizens who have the least services and gives to those who have the most services. In the tradition of the divinely inspired framers of the Constitution, it is not just to usurp one persons property to give to another. Therefore, by whatever means is necessary, we should change the law to distribute the sales tax money back to the people who pay the tax. It should be in the best interest of the metropolitan cities to help develop, rather than to exploit and destroy the surrounding rural areas. The citizens in each unit of government should be permitted to use their own money, in their own way, to develop, improve, maintain, protect and beautify their Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, has been designated Man of the Year for 1978 by the New Jersey Sub- contractors Association, Inc., in recognition of his work for small business and his opposition to the labor Reform Bill. Earlier this year Sen. ConHatch was named struction Man of the Year by the national Associated Builders and Contractors. The Associated Builders and Contractors of California aintend to honor him with a similar award in area. Wejurther substantiate our claim with. the following observations and own Sen. Hatch led a successful filibuster against the Labor Bill in June, Reform withstanding a record six attempts to break debate. He condemend the bill as push and button unionism. argued that the bill would mean an end to small business. , facts. 1. For the fiscal year of July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978, 75 per cent of all sales tax money collected in the state for counties and cities was distributed on the Point of Collection to 15 per cent of the counties and cities, comprising less than 25 per cent of the population of the entire state. wi f .if 4 't .. : I . As an example, Salt Lake City is the for Point of Collection, state-widmany major industries, including the Utah Power and Light, Bell Telephone and Mountain Fuel Supply. Salt Lake City collected nearly Vi of all sales tax money in the state, or over 5 million dollars more than their share on a fair State-Wid- e Population basis, while the unincorporated area of Salt Lake County collected nearly 3 million dollars less than their share, which the people in the unincorporated area paid. The Point of Collection distribution left only 25 per cent of the sales tax money to be distributed to 86 per cent of the units of government in the state, comprising the 75 per cent balance of the total state population. On a Point of Collection basis, each of these units of government suffered in amounts, percentages and degrees, from the 3 million dollars for the unincorporated area of Salt Lake County, to the example of Circleville, e, State-Wid- e which by basis of would have distribution, Population received 71 times the amount which they received last year on Point of Collection. This seems to be Double Taxation in reverse to the cry we have heard over the years. Weber County has been allocating sales tax on basis of Population. If cities like North Ogden and Plain City are changed to Point of Collection, it will practically destroy them. You will note from the following tabulations of all counties and cities, that the remote and rural areas are hurting the most, many to the point of extinction. The sales tax they pay is about the only money that they can get directly back to use in the way they plan and need. 2. The people throughout the state do much of their buying in the metropolitan cities and pay their fair share of the taxes to those cities through the purchase of goods in the commercial establishments. The property taxes and all other taxes and licenses are passed on to the consumer ; and are not paid, as some may erroneously think, by the owner of the business. In effect, this source of revenue to the cities comes through Point of Collection by our purchases at these businesses. 3. Many large and heavy industries, which collect no sales tax, are located in the unincorporated county areas and rural cities, at a great cost to those units of government. These industries supply many goods that are retailed in the large cities and employ many workers who spend most of their money in the metropolitan areas. Clearfield City is a good example. Clearfield supports, as they advertise, The Largest Warehousing and Disbribution Center in America Freeport Center, Thiokols Clearfield Job Center, Corp Training warehousing for Weber County, Davis County and Ogden City School Districts and many manufacturing and wholesale industries that collect no sales tax. With all of the industry Clearfield supports, they received on Point of Collection last year, only 52 per cent of the amount they are entitled to on a fair State-Wid- e Population basis of distribution. Their police and fire -- protection costs are tremendous. Clearfield needs the sales tax their people pay. 4. Schools, especially High Schools, located in rural cities, add greatly to road maintenance, police and fire protection. Our costs from traffic and police problems have been multiplied through Weber County High School being located in Pleasant View. The schools pay no tax. The land they occupy will never bring revenue to our city. 5. A number of Mayors and County Commissioners have told me that they believe that sales tax distribution by State-Wid- e Population would greatly curtail the crushing impact that sales tax distribution by Point of Collection is causing. The terrible fighting that is going on between cities, and counties and cities, to grab revenue by annexation would be curtailed. As Eldon McColley, Mayor of North Ogden, stated, Annexation will be a properly planned objective, handled in a cooperative mood between cities and county as opposed to tax based land grabs 6. We can see from the record, that too many cities that are built and based on sales tax paid to Point of Collection, become boom towns over night, and ghost towns just as quickly, when business fails or changes operation. We need the support of all the people in the state The welfare of every unit of government, working together in harmony, should be in the best interest of all citizens in our great State of Utah 7. Of the millions of dollars that comes back to Utah in the form of federal government grants, to help in the many various ways, most all of it is spent in our largest units of government. It is too costly a process and almost impossible for rural Utah to receive these grants. This is my third administration as Mayor of Pleasant View I served in this capacity 28 years ago and again 16 years later. I know that cities and counties need all the money they can get and that the large cities have access to revenues that the rural areas can not get. The rural areas must have their own sales tax money to survive I was accused by one person of trying to rob The Little Red Hen, by trying to change the sales tax from distribution on Point of Collection to State-WiaHe Population. reasoned that The Little Red Hen is the unit of government that maintains the Point of Collection I told him that I believe "The Little Red Hen is each citizen who plows the ground, who plants and harvests the wheat and makes and bakes the bread; who fills the factories vv ith the fruits of his labor, and therefore, should eat the bread, and refuse to give it to the Cat & Dog & Pig, who greedy refused to help The Little Red Hen make and bake the bread He should receive the benefi's from the tax he pays on the money he spends, in the unit of government m which he lives', to make better living conditions and aesthetic beauty tor himself, his family and loved ones - the producers. Let us work and lobby together, enacting a Utah State Law that will distribute the sales tax monies back to the people in the way they gave it to the government. This seems to be the last vestige of fair tax that the people can get directly back for themselves in their own local government unit. If the State Legislature can not accomplish this in their next session, I feel sure that the people of the State of Utah can and wJI, by referendum in their next voting e i , I $ what you call being thankful for small favors Ralph Rowley and Dr.Dale Ellis will teach evening classes. Public schdueled at Weber hearing Evening classes Starting December 4, 1978 courses will be offered for community patrons who to wish complete requirements for high school graduation. A complete array of course offerings will be available including academic and vocational courses. Registration will be held at Weber High School on November 28, 29 and 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and during the first night of class. All students who are qualified to enroll and all adults who are wishing a high school diploma are encouraged to enroll. Participants should contact Mr. Steven L. Bishop at 782-689- The following courses available. I, English Monday, Rowley and Psychology with Smith. Tuesday, Type, Hadley; English II, Rowley; jewerly and making, Gardner; bookkeeping, Christiansen. Wednesday, shorthand I, II, and III with Hadley; basic math, Ellis; General Science, Evans; Western History, Spencer; Welding, and Quayle; Reading, Brandley. Thursday, Type Seifert; English III, Rowley; Wood W'orking, Woodard; Auto work, King; and American Problems, Wayment. All classes start at 6 p.m. and run until 9 p.m. BMBBBBBBBBBBaBnBBBBBBaBHBlIBBO would like to have the Ben Lomond Beacon mailed to my home every Thursday. Please start my subscription right away YES I ! Name Address City Zip Remittance enclosed: Moil this form along with your check to: Th im I slated Nov. 26 The Weber County Commission set 26 as the date for a public hearing Thursday to discuss the opening of the budget for the Circuit court, juvelile court and the solid waste disposal program. Dec. 26 was planned as the date the county commission will hold a public hearing to discuss the annexation of land in the Farr West area of Weber County to the Central Weber Sewer Improvement District. These public hearings will be held during the regular county commission meeting which begins at 10 a m. on Tuesday and Thursdays. CETA contracts involving th'e Morgan County School District, Weber Schools Landscaping and Youth Warehousing Project, Nov. Development State $s .50 for 1 year $9.00 for 2 years BEN LOMOND BEACON 5388 S DONT BE FOOLED are 1900 W. Roy Utah IBBBBBBBBBI Center Supervisor Aides, Skills Center North Woodworking Technicians and the YWCA restoration Project were approved by the county commission. Chairman Hunt was on a tour of the county with the Utah Association of Counties and was not in attendance at Thursdays county commission meeting. County attorney Robert L. Newey was participating in a convention in St. George, Utah and was not in attendance also. BY TAX CUTS Of related interest ..The Commerce Department reports that state and local governments upped their tax take 10 5 percent in the past year in corpoute inThis included an 18.7 percent lut-m- e come taxes, a 13 9 percent increase in sales tax revenues, and a 15 4 percent bigger bite on incbvidual income taxpayers State and local governments. Commence said, collected a total of $192.2 billion in the fiscal ye .r ending June 30. compared with S 74 billion in fiscal 1477 In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1976, the figure was SI 56 8 billion. (Feulner is president of The Heritage I oundation. a ashington-base- d public policy teseakh oigamation ) li i 1 By Edwin Feulner Though it contains some very desirable and long overdue revisions, the tax bill enacted into law during the closing hours of the 95th Congress will do little to relieve the tax burden on middle-incom- e Americans. In fact, according to an analysis by a Heritage Foundation economist, ...the middle-clas- s income taxpayer will still see his total tax bill go up. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, per capita federal taxes increased 105 percent in the past 10 years. In 1976, for example, the average American paid $ ,31 a year in federal taxes. He paid another $730 in state and local taxes a 152 percent increase from 1966. How will Mr. Middle Income fare next year? Art Pine, economics writer for The Washington Post, has determined that more than 80 percent of the nations 88.5 million taxpayers will face a tax increase on January I , despite the $18.7 billion in cuts made by Congress. The increase will hit virtually all but 16 million taxpayers. Depending on earnings, tax increases will range from $4 to as much as $1 ,800. As the earlier Heritage analysis showed, the reason for the boost is that the income tax cuts simply are not enough to offset the combination of higher Social Security taxes which go into effect January and the psh of inflation 1 1 The Heritage analysis showid that o.e: (he nest ial years taxes will increase a total of $215.5 billion. This will include $114 billion in new Social Security taxes, $58.7 billion in inflation-induce- d tax increases, and $42.5 billion in new energy taxes. Over the same five-yea- r period, the congressional tax cuts add up only to $93.5 billion. The bottom line, of course, is that in a practical sense the congressional actions mean only that we will not have as hefty an increase as we would have otherwise. I guess its Get Rid Of TV Sex MlSS-H- ard core TUPELO, television1 on pornography I he National Federation for Decenev believes it is coming unless the American public gets The NF D. which is involved asking for a boycott of the ABC-Tnetwork in November, says it isnt alone in believing that porno is coming to TV. Tony Randall, a man who should know television as well as anyone, has said publn.lv lhal network execulives would put pornography on tomorrow if they could get away with it, said Donald h. Wildmon, executive director ol the Nl D. Randall wav quirted by Gary Deeb of the Chicago Tribune and Kay CMi-cof the New Turk Daily 'li News as n aking that statement, Wildmon said (Mr u search points out that the nerwotks are headed in that direction. He said that monitoring of 865 hours of prime-tim- e viewing last fall by t he Nf L) showed nearly sexual scenes and com10,18X1 ments, with 89ro depicted as being outside manage "The networks arc increasing sex this fall, and I hey have promised more flesh." Wildmon pointed out that a resent studs done bv Michigan Stdic I imuMtv, ,md paid for In the I X on iee ed ( hild Deshowed tha: verbal velopment lelerinees 01 m bed seenes were found seven nines more often between unnamed. ,c between husband ant wile the .tudv found a child ntav sec between 30 and 40 intimate sexual behaviors, explicit and implied, m a typical week ot prune lime viewing The networks use of sex as a crutch is certainly detrimental to souelv, Wildmon said. It makes youth insensitive to feelings ot compassion, tenderness, love. TV is leaching that sex apart from manage is normal, healthy, acceptable, bcncTisial and sex between inairnd couples is odd and abnormal We must luiu-inhc- r lhal all television is educational television And what the networks are teaching about six is not sex education hut si x mi' education. I hi Ml) s.iid it o u'cing those asked to p i, i , i c in the Nulscii taunt, in Vvcniher to continued on page 3 . |