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Show State losing PX excise taxes lifestyle of military personnel has changed substantially since the privileges were granted," the Foundation reports. "At the present time, two-thirds two-thirds of married military personnel live off-base, in the community with their families. Pay and allowances for most military officers is higher than that of civilians performing comparable work. While the comparison of military and civilian pay scales for enlisted personnel is less favorable to the military, when 'total military pay' (including food and quarters quar-ters allowances) is used for comparison, military compensation com-pensation may exceed civilian." Utah is losing close to $2 million a year in potential sales and excise taxes on retail sales on military posts which are exempt from state and local taxes, according to Utah Foundation, a private, non-profit public service agency. Total tax loss to all states and local governments across the nation is estimated at $300 million a year in sales and excise taxes, and another $94 million in income tax. The special tax-exempt status of retail outlets on military posts and of military personnel is being re-studied in the light of changing conditions, the Foundation notes in a research brief released this week. Exemptions from state and local sales and excise taxes on sales made through military commissaries and post exchanges ex-changes originally were instituted in-stituted to partially compensate military personnel for lower pay scales than their counterparts in civilian life and for the inconvenience in-convenience of living on military posts, removed from the normal channels of trade. "Growing sentiment for ending, en-ding, or at least modifying, special tax privileges of the military is based primarily on , evidence that compensation and |