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Show PEOPLE DEMAND REDUCTION IN UTAH. A campaign of investigation has been on in the state of Utah for some months, mainly conducted by the State Farm Bureau. 1 his organization is speaking for the farmers of the state and started start-ed in to secure a 25 per cent reduction in the assessment of farm property. As a part of their campaign they have been active in bringing pressure to bear upon public officials and especially upon school boards and school officials to make every effort to reduce expenditures expendi-tures and thereby make it possible to reduce taxation. Speaking for the farmers, their efforts along the line of economy econ-omy have met with a hearty response and their educational campaign cam-paign has been quite effective. The constitution of the state provides that all property shall be assessed equally. Closer analysis of the actual assessment on farm property, which in the main represents only a fraction of the assessed as-sessed valuation of the state, shows that it is now assessed far below be-low full value. The demand is being made in Oregon that farm property be assessed at only 50 per cent of its cash value, while all other property proper-ty is to be assessed I 00 cents on the dollar as the laws in some states require. As a matter of practical experience, "full value" tax laws are "dead letters" in every state having them. Like other property, such as livestock, orchards and timber lands, their "full value" and cash value is very variable, depending upon the market demand. In Utah, as in some other states, an effort will be made to enact and secure the adoption in the legislature or by direct vote of the people of what is known as a graduated income tax. It is doubtful if any western state having large undeveloped resources and great natural wealth that depends upon outside capital and investment for development, will seriously consider enacting a state income tax on top of a federal income tax, internal revenue taxes and state and local property taxes, and in many cities occupation taxes. The federal taxes falling upon all states alike, do not discriminate against cauital in any one state, as a state income tax would do. |