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Show Our Taxes -Amount -Kind By Whom Imposed Usually people are very conscious and resentful, too, of the direct taxes they pay and at the same time indifferent indif-ferent or apathetic to the burdensome tax load they do not see They are also not particularly concerned with the taxes paid by their neighbors. This thouRht is expressed in the saying "A good tax is the one the other fellow pays and from the point of view of the official, "The maximum feathers win the least squawk." They have taken all the feathers and part of the skin as well. There are many among us who are voluble in criticism of this or that tax. All too often they are not informed in-formed as to the relative quantity or quality of their total tax load. Frequently these same noisy tax critics are the seme ones heard shouting for more and more public services ser-vices of one kind or another. They, like Senator Sorghum, are for bigger projects, public spending and, at the same time, for lower and fewer taxes. Right now we hear candidates can-didates for office promulgate such contradictory pro- "vVe should all know what taxes we pay and what we ret' for our money. Some taxes hit us hard in the face while others we largely disregard hit us hard In the pocket poc-ket book. Our total tax bill federal, state and local Altogether Is mighty heavy. Last year it totaled $9o.b billions. This is a lot of money. On a per capita basis, it ta $600 or $3,000 for a family of five. Whether we like it or wot we are really up to our necks in taxes. Let's see Just bow this heavy load is distributed. Here Is the picture: The table shows that Income taxes tax-es constitute the major revenue source with a take of $53,7 billions which is 56.2 of the total. Of this amount, personal Income taxes contribute the lion's share with $33.1 billions while corporations yield $20.6 billions. Property Prop-erty taxes, ot which we are all conscious and critical, bring In $10.2 billions or 10.7 of the total. Tobacco and Uquor contribute $5.4 billions or Just half the property tax collections. In come Taxes: It Is noteworthy that 73fr of all federal feder-al revenue comes from this source (personal $31.8 billions compared to $19.8 billions). This is also an important state tax It provides $2 billion or 15 of state totals, though used in only 32 states of which Utah is one. The collections collec-tions In Utah last year reached $9,493,501. There has de-YeJQped de-YeJQped a recent movement on the local level toward income in-come taxes. Property taxes remain the mainstay of local revenues. They provide $9.8 billions or 80 of the total of $12 billions. bil-lions. Property, once important on the state level, now provides only 3 of the total of $400,000,000. The federal government does not Impose property taxes. This means that property taxes are largely local taxes. This has become be-come the case in Utah in practice. Collections last year totaled $59,554,000. Sales Taxes since 1930 have come to play almost a major role in state fiscal affairs. Though utilized by but 32 states, they produce 21 of all state revenues, witth collections col-lections of $2.7 billions. It has been a life-saver to state treasuries. This is certainly the case in Utah, where $19,- 000,000 is "obtained. Then, more than 1,000 local governments govern-ments have turned to this revenue source with $800,000,-000 $800,000,-000 collected. State and local generalsales and gross receipts re-ceipts taxes total $3.5 billions. Gas, oil and motor licenses put a lot of money in the till, around $3.5 billion mark or an amount equal to total federal expenditures 20 years ago. Utah collects around S17-OQO.rjno ennuallv from this source. Durinsr the past 10 years, motor vehicle registration increased from 31,035.-000 31,035.-000 to 62.760,000 During the decade ahead, we may expect tax revenues on highway users to double, at least. |