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Show Utah's Tax Load Nears One-third Personal Income Utahns paid a total of $543 million in Fedor state, and local lo-cal taxes in 1901, according to a year-end review of government activities prepared by Utah Foundation, the private tax research re-search organization. The 19CI tax load was equal to slightly more than SUM) per per- j son or $2,425 for an average family of four persons. These tax load computations include all taxes - both direct and hidden. Approximately 323 of all personal per-sonal income received by individuals indivi-duals in Utah is now going for taxes according to the report. 1 This percentage compares with 3lKr in 1955, 20 in 1950, 20' i in 1940, and 12'. in 1930. War-time highs were reached during the t World-War II year of 191 1 when j taxes took 30',r of Utah's personal per-sonal income, and during the Korean-War year of 1952 when i the relative tax burden was 32',r. Foundation analysts observe j that while government takes the largest slice of Utah's personal income, it is also the largest single contributor to the State's economy. In 1900, 24 of total personal income to Individuals in Utah was derived directly from government sources. In addition ad-dition to these direct government payments, a significant part of Utah's private spending is geared gear-ed to government policy and actions. ac-tions. The missile Industry, which empl-"'s more than one-fourth one-fourth of th manufacturing labor la-bor force In Jtah, for example, Is large'.y deipendent upon government govern-ment orders and contracts. The Foundation study shows that nearly one out of every four (23.3) non-agricultural employees in Utah works for some unit of government. Government Gov-ernment employment in Utah during June, 19G1, totaled 64,911, of which 28,970 were Federal employees, em-ployees, 12,700 were state en-ployees, en-ployees, and 23,175 were local (including city, county, and school) government employees. As of October 1, 1900, Utah had a larger number of government; employees in relation to popula-1 tion than any other state in continental con-tinental United States. j Utah ranks eleventh among the fifty states in the percentage of its personal income going fori state and local taxes. The report I observes, however, that the broad ; base of the State's tax structure tends to moderate the Impact of the tax burden. Utah is one of the few states to employ all of the major kinds of taxes in its tax system. The Utah foundation report summarizes the important developments devel-opments in the major state and local government activities of education, ed-ucation, highways ,and welfare during 1901. The study points out that Utah makes a greater effort to support public schools (in terms of personal income devoted de-voted to school taxes) than does any other state In the nation, are above the national average for most categories of public as-j as-j sistance. |