Show Utah Ranks In States States' Personal Income For Taxes Utah ranked ninth qA among the fifty stat states In the proportion 1 qt Its Personal personal Income going for state and local taxes dur dur- ing the fiscal year ended June This fact was pointed qt In a study tUdy of or state and local taxes taxes' end and nd expenditures just completed i d by Utah Foundation Foun Foun- dation the he private tax research organization 3 The Foundation report shows J Ut that t Utah collected million mil mil- lion In local and state taxes lp tj fisc fiscal t 1967 This sum was equal to o 1238 of ot total personal per per- s and was qU to th the Mountain States average of was well Mell above the US U.S. average of 05 x According to the report the estern States generally have an an n overall state and local tax burden that Is somewhat higher tf than m th that t In in n other sections sections of t he nation The rel relative tax Burden In the Western States Jp i approximately 15 5 above the average berage average for for forthe the nation Every ogre ope Pe of ot the 11 Western States had a relative state and local tax burden greater than the na national national national na- na avera average e. e Foundation analysts attribute the generally higher tax burden In the West to the fact that the West is less highly developed developed devel devel- developed Industrially and that the West placed much more emphasis emphasis emphasis em em- on education especially public education than mos most other other other oth oth- er sections of the country Preliminary data compiled by the Utah Foundation indicate Indicate indicate Indi indi- cate that Utah's relative tax positioned among the Mountain States remained largely unchanged un unchanged unchanged un- un changed between the 1967 and 1968 fiscal years In fiscal 1968 state and local taxes were equal to 1247 of personal in income income in- in come in Utah compared with an average of 1252 In the eight Mountain St States tes The Foundation study noted however that the nature of the tax system often can be more mor Important In determining future economic growth than the ag aggregate aggregate aggregate ag- ag tax load itself For this reason most states during re recent recent recent re- re cent years have shied away from taxes which might restrict fu future future future fu- fu ture economic development In comparing specific taxes with other states Utah appears to be moderate in the property tax and the sales tax but high in the Individual income tax Utah derives a larger proportion proportion proportion tion of its total state and local taxes from levies on income and production than the Mountain Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain States average or the United States as a whole The fiscal dilemma facing Utah along with most of the oth other er states of the nation in pursuing pursuing pur pur- pursuing suing their Industrial development development development develop develop- ment objectives is that they must maintain average tax levels levels' In order to meet tax competition while at the same time respond to legitimate needs for expenditures in order to meet public service compe compe- Utah devotes a much larger proportion of Its total state and local spending to education than do other states o of the na na- na tion The Foundation report ex ex- ex plains that this emphasis on education is a reflection of the extremely mely large number of children children children chil chil- dren to be the state Utah has the largest overall educational load in the nation This stress placed on education education education tion in Utah has forced some limitations in other areas of state and local services Utah allocates a smaller proportion of its state and local spending for such activities as welfare health and hospitals police and fire protection sanitation etc than do most other states |