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Show Utah Foundation Finds High Government Costs Federal, state, and local government gov-ernment in the United States cost the typical family of four persons $2,400 last year. This was the highlight of a study released re-leased by Utah Foundation, the private, non-profit government research organization. According to the Foundation report, general expenditures by all levels of government totaled $100.9 billion last year. This amount was approximately $-Tl billion more than the 1955 expenditure ex-penditure total. National defense accounted for $40.4 billion, or 40 of all government spending In 1956. Education was the second cost. Ilest activity, with $14.2 billion in public funds being devoted for that purpose last year. Interest In-terest payments on the growing government debt in the United States required $7.3 billion in public expenditures. Actually, more public funds were spent for interest payments last year than for either highways or public welfare. The report points out that total general revenue collected by all governmental units In 1956 was $105.0 billion, or about $4 billion i mors than all invprnmnt cnAnH. I ing for the year. This is a direct I reversal from the preceding fiscal fis-cal year when government revenue rev-enue was $3.6 billion less than public expenditures. General rev. enue In fiscal 1955 was $93.5 billion. bil-lion. The Individual Income fix produced $33.7 billion, or 32.1 of all government general revenue rev-enue during fiscal 1956, accord-Ing accord-Ing to the Foundation study. Cor. poration Income taxes yielded $21.8 billion. The third most in. portant government revenue source was sales and excise taxes, tax-es, such as the general sales tax and special excise taxes on motor mo-tor fuel, tobacco products, alcoholic alco-holic beverages, and other Items. This source yielded $19.2 billion In revenue during 1956. Other Important revenue sour, ces last year were property tax-es tax-es $11.7 billion, death and gift taxes $1.5 billon, motor vehicle and operators' licenses $1.4 billion, bil-lion, all other taxes $2.3 billion, bil-lion, and charges for service, Interest In-terest earnings, and other miscellaneous mis-cellaneous revenue $13.2 billion. Foundation analysts observe that more than 70 of all government gov-ernment revenue is collected by the Federal government with state and local revenue accounting account-ing for less than 30 of the total. to-tal. Thla Is almost a direct re- versal of the situation In 1940 when Federal taxes equaled 38.6 of the total and slate and local share was 61.4. |
