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Show Average Garfield Taxpayer Gives $1,681 During mg Taxpayers in Garfield County paid $1,681,000 in federal income taxes for the 1986 tax year, and this sum amounted to $1,252 for each federal income tax return filed Garfield County last year. These were some of the facts reported in a Utah Foundation study based on a recent analysis of federal tax returns completed by the Economic and Statistical Unit of the Utah State Tax Commission. According to the report by the private tax research organization, taxpayers in Garfield County filed 1,343 federal income tax returns for the 1986 tax year and reported gross income totaling $19,449,000, or an average of $14,482 per return. This compares wilh a statewide average of $22,184 per return. Throughout the state, Utahns paid $1,969,000,000 in federal and slate income taxes, according to the 1986 tax returns that were filed last year. This was $136 million, or 7.4 percent more than the federal and state income tax total for the preceding year. Federal taxes paid by Utahns grew from $307 million in 1970 to $1,504 million in 1986, an increase in-crease of 390 percent over this 16-ycar 16-ycar period. State income taxes climbed at an even faster pace rising from $62 million in 1970 to $465 million in 1986, for an increase of 650 percent during the period. Because of the changes brought about by the Federal Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the slate tax revisions revi-sions made by the 1987 Ulah Legislature, Leg-islature, state income taxes have continued to climb at a rapid pace in 1987 and 1988. Preliminary data indicate that state personal income taxes in Utah jumped by $128 million, or 28 percent in calendar 1987. Foundation analysts point out that 586,626 Utahns filed federal income tax returns for ihe 1986 tax year. These taxpayers reported total adjusted income of slightly more than $13.0 billion, or an average of $22,184 per return. Some of these returns, however, were from stu-dents stu-dents and other individuals in part-lime part-lime andor temporary jobs who filed a return in order to claim a refund re-fund for taxes that had been withheld. with-held. The average gross income per return, therefore, should not be confused wilh average income per family. The study shows that 545,250 individuals, or 93 percent of the returns re-turns filed for ihe 1986 tax year reported re-ported a gross income of $50,000 or less, while 41,376, or 7 percent reported an adjusted gross income of more than $50,000. Because of the graduated federal tax rates that were in effect during 1986, this 7 percent paid more than 42 percent of all the federal income taxes collected col-lected from Utahns. At the other cxtrCme 1(. V Utah returns report J'2'" of $15,000 JCZtfl 5.3 percent of loial came from this inco5 1 ($15,000 or less), cvSfi comprise more than 44 ' all Utahns filing rclur4s g catcd, many of thCrciu; s; V low-income group may T from individuals who'K time during the year. L There is considerable vr P' income levels across thcSb'fc2 cording to the Utah For' analysis. The highest return was reported in Davkr' K ty ($24,130) while piule cr: I showed the lowest average- income per return Among the communities li'rT the report, the highest avcr'P come was found in Eden V" while the lowest average ' N come was in Beaver ($13 811? , |