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Show Foundation Surveys State's Tax Structure For Next 10 Years, Finds Outlook Comfortable Utah's present tax structure will likely provide sufficient suf-ficient revenue to finance state and local government needs for the next ten years at some point between minimum mini-mum and maximum estimates of additional requirements. This was the conclusion reached by Utah Foundation, the private, nonprofit tax research organization, following a comprehensive study of Utah's financial outlook in the decade ahead. The Foundation's report points out that the State's present tax structure at existing rates, will probably meet minimum additional government needs during tlje next ten years and provide for some modest increases In major programs pro-grams within that period. The report mentions that most national na-tional forecasts of increased economic ec-onomic activity in the decade ahead, recent upward trends In Utah state tax collections, and Utah's debt-free status are all encouraging signs in the State's financial outlook. Education will continue to be the number one state and local government financial problem facing Utah, according, to the . study. It is estimated that school enrollment wlU. Increase 42 within the next ten yeari and that annual public school needs In Utah will be from $14.7 million mil-lion to $53 million greater in 1964-65 than in 1954-55. mud Source Based on existing tax rates, Utah Foundation estimates that receipts from all regular revenue sources now going for school pur-poses pur-poses (propery tax, individual income tax, corporate Income .i.m. mjr 19 ): school land interest, mineral royalties, etc.) should produce an addition-al addition-al $28 million per year by 1965. The existing tax structure, there- fore, should be adequate to meet the additional costs created by the expected enrollment rise plus allowing for some increases in the school program during the next ten years. Foundation analysts point out that the chief problem in Utah will be that of financing public school current operations. If Utah Is able to continue Us present rate of expenditure for school building construction ($18,244,-000 ($18,244,-000 per year in 1954-55), there should be sufficient funds to meet existing and future school building requirements within the ten-year period. Second Financial Problem Highway construction and maintenance are cited by the report re-port as the second most pressing state and local government prob-lem prob-lem facing Utah in the decade ahead. It is noted that estimates of existing highway deficiencies on Uah's state road system vary from $208 million to $440 million. Uiah siiuuiu Xjv iulc to dcVCtC approximately $200 million toward to-ward the Improvement of the state road system during the next ten years with the existing level of Federal highway aid and present highway-user tax rates, according to the report. "Such a program should do much to bring Utah's highway system up to tolerable standards," the report continues. "If, however, it Is decided de-cided to bring Utah's highway system up to a standard recommended recom-mended by the American Association Associ-ation of State Highway Officials, a greatly expanded highway improvement im-provement program wiU be need-ed." need-ed." Some of the additional funds for such a stepped-up program may come from an enlarged Federal Fed-eral aid highway program now bel"g considered by the Congress. |