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Show TAX RETRENCHMENT SUBJECT OF TALK AT PRESS MEETING Address by Pres. W. P. Epperson at tho Soml-annunl Convention ot tho Utah Stnto Press Association, Rich field, Utah, Septcmbor 2, 1922. Today in Utah, as in all lntormoun-tain lntormoun-tain and coast statos, tho greatest nandlcap to return of normal conditions condi-tions nnd prosperity Is exccsslvo taxation tax-ation This Is a condition recognlzod by all our cltizons. Tho Stato Farm Bureau has taken up tho matter and it Is hoped will make some progress .n its program for tax reduction. Commissions Com-missions aro Investigating tax conditions condi-tions in all the mountain states and business organizations and commercial commer-cial clubs have taken up the matter tor Investigation. In duo time theso commissions and committees will report but it is sato to assume that boyond shitting the tax burden from ono class of proporty to another, nothing will bo accomplished. accom-plished. Shifting assessments from ono form ot proporty to another will not reduce taxes. In tho last analysts every man, woman and child has to pay his sliaro of taxation, it not on property, through tho Increased prices of commodities caused by abnormal taxation. Recommendations of commissions avail but Uttlo, as the chief end ot all commission investigations and so-called so-called tax reform movements is to ac-cure ac-cure more funds from tho taxpayer. The State ot Utah Is not especially in need ot a new form ot taxation or Diner lax reiorm. inu oiuy remuuy possible is to cut appropriations for . general state purposes and stato in- 193 stltutlons and mako it a penal offense for the state boards to authorizo additional ad-ditional expondltures whon legislative appropriations havo boon exhausted. The partial or total abolition ot somo of tho state commissions and tho reduction re-duction ot tho numbor ot members on tho commissions would help make it possiblo for tho legislature to make a tremendous cut In appropriations. Somo of you, perhaps most of you, will ask where I recommend a cut In I expenllturcs. Tho answer is, all along the lino In every state institution, bar 'none and I would mako that cut li no loss than 25 por cent. I hear you ask It I would cut tho schools 25 por cent. The answer Is yes, all tho schools whoro special subjects not essential es-sential to a rudimentary education aro bolng taught, but under no consideration con-sideration would I rocommend cutting the salary ot offlclont touchers. In fact, I would bo Inclined to ralso tho salaries of the best. I would cut out non-essential subjects and pay moro attention to rudimentary education, thus preparing tho pupil for a higher education, should ho desire It. But this Is dipping Into an argument argu-ment I doslro to nvold. Tho main proposal is a gross reduction ot taxes and tho only way to bring nbout a reduction Is to cut tho public expenditures. expendi-tures. During recont years taxation has increased in-creased enormously. Figures takon from tho United Statos census shows tho total tax levied In Utah in 1912 was $6,528,959 and in 1921 it was $18,-334,50,. $18,-334,50,. Tho por capita tax in 1912 was $10.13, and in 1921, $40.74. Those figures aro appalling when ono takes into consideration that tho total taxable valuation ot the state is loss than $700,000,000. Now, I want to say to you mombors of tho Utah State Press Association: 'You, through your newspapers, are tbo only hope tho pcoplovhavo. It Is within your power to put a Btop to this excessive taxation by giving notlio that you will not support any candidate who will not pledgo himself to vote for reductions of at loast 25 'per nnt In legislative appropriations. appropr-iations. Seo to It that those 1 pledges are mado beforo nominations I aro made in conventions, but nbovo all, bore It Into your roadors that only men who really favor such moasures bo nominated for senators or representatives. repre-sentatives. It matters not whether nominees represent tho church, tho bar, tho farm bureau or big business, it is not Biyiclont recommendation for a candidate unless he Is unqualifiedly In tnvor of at least a 25 por cont reduction re-duction In stato appropriations. This Is not a matter ot politics, for as a matter of fact neither party is solely responsible for thoso conditions. It is true that tho prosont administration adminis-tration has saved monoy In tho conduct con-duct ot tho gonoral affairs ot tho state, but the same would bo oxpoctcd of any other administration now that war conditions aro passing. I favor tho "Utah Stato Pross Association joining join-ing with the Farm Bureau and tho Utah Manufacturers Association and other bodies for tnx retrenchment, but beforo doing so it should bo clearly understood that tax retrenchment moans tho collection of loss tnxes (Continued on page 4) I Tax Retrenchment Subject ' of Talk at Press Meeting (Continued from page 1) through tho lossonlrig of leglslntlvo appropriations. It- boards of county commlsslonors, oily and town boards of education wofo compollod under ponnlty to pub-. pub-. , Hsh lists of oxpondlturos, and to whom made and for what purpose, In most Instances a groat saving would bo made. , Hundreds of thousands of dollars I i aro annually oxpondod In Utah which i would bo saved If tho names of tho recipients and the nature of tho deals ( to which they aro partlos Word made , j , public. As a niattor of fact tho public , i - has no ldoa for what purposo tho tax money Is oxpondod other than In a ' general way. Utah Is ossontlally a farming and . rango stato; that is to say, most of her pcoplo llvo closo to and till the ' soil, All tholr proporty Is tanglblo and overy aero of land Ja nssQSsod for taxation whllo a vast amount of pen sonal property, loans, mortgages, I salaries and cash, escapes taxation nl- ,., 'I . togothor and always will, no matter I , what plan of taxation la adopted. J " f Year In and year out tho farmer ! ( works longor hours and received loss 1 . for hlfl nffnrtn thnn nnr nthm Mftaa nt ..... ww. w ."MM WU UIHVI WMD0 U. I ,' our cltlzons and proportionately ho ,' ' pays more taxes. Whatovor elso tho i H ; fanner may bo chargod with ho can a ; . ,! nevor bo classod as a tax dodger. To- I '-' - fiday the farmer bis-to .cut hU pead ! !j ' . i ' t -Sr'.lt,,,0S t0 provldo for tils tax- eey or ! M . ! ' " Jk he will bo put out of hound hnd'homo. JE ' jR - i;Thls tooing truo, why should pot tho u V Mi ,.. y'o institutions and commissions bo I 1" c wTveompelled to cut thoir.'oxpondurost i ml i .J-1 Tnb mannor of handling delinquent ,' jUr I ' " taxos In Utah Is another 0torMa ouf mf excosslvo taxation. Under' thd law, ' u J or tho ruling In vogue In this Atato, 1 ' ' tho countios carry tho dellnquortt J J taxes. ' ! Kv j In most statos, proporty on which ' , I " , , tn0 tnx ,lna not hoon paid to sold for II '' tho delinquent tax on the day and , I'ii dato sat forth In the tax salo advor- , I ' i Usomont. In Utah It Is tho rule not i Ji i"i . to allow others than thoso intorostod , fe In tho property to pay tho prop- 9 p . orty tar. Thoro is tlmo for 1 p redemption " as iu all states, but ft I ; by tho plan In forcq-ln'most statos, ! tho tax money la fully paid in cash 1 1- and is avallablo for public purposos. 1 " In Utah tho pooplo carry tho bur I r don and aro taxod, ultimately, nn ad- I , ' ditional amount oqual to tho dolln- quent tax carried by tho county. For I I ' ' oxamplo, If tho county In which Rich , ffil ' i ' field Is locatod is carrying 120,000 Jn ' U I -: delinquent taxes on its books at tho ' II I w' tlmo tho tax lovy Is mado, It will bo t llV H noco3sary for tho county commission US ; era to lovy a tax to covor that doflclt. V , As I understand this question, tho gu countios havo to pay that part of tho c jr.! tax which goes to tho stato In cash no c ufp matter bow long it romnlns unpaid to t ' tho county. According to tho hooks ( BflR I of tho stste auditor's odlco on August l i' 21, tho present yoar, tho amount or ; HSl dollnquo'fttAtax which tho countios i Mm 1 owod ,tha Btato" was S192,0C2.98, and It Bk i Is probable that tho total dollnquont W J, tax municipal, county and school mtii $ nddod to this amount would bring tho jfi i total to mora than $700,000, Taxes j i havo already boon lovlod to cover this iin j deficit. Jffl-' I In conclusion, I want to say that I RW i do not dostro to Inject politics Into MB' this question. In tho last analysts, wo fl , must admit that political partlos and ' tho pooplo themselves aro alono to m, I blamo tor tho conditions which con- ml ' front us, but thoro must bo a hnlt. Mv Tho pooplo must not bo asked for moro thantthoy can pay. . With wheat nt lea's than 80 cents n bushel and potatoes not worth digging, dig-ging, and othor farm' products the lowest low-est In yoars, our stato Institutions, our schools, and our commissions must reduce expenses. Only In tho matter of state roads should wo kcop up our paco and that only when wo got 75 per cont Of the cost from tho Pcdoral Government. Hut ovon this monoy should bo expended ex-pended with moro economy than In tho past and with moro einclency both In administration of tho commission, engineering expenses and In construction. construc-tion. It should bo neon to that our "good roads" aro built bottor and of hotter matorlals, cspoclnlly where sand and gravol is used. Whero posslblo, both sand and gravel should bo washed and thoroughly cloaned boforo bolng Incorporated In-corporated in tho road building material. I havo avoided pointing out specific expenditures and make no spcclflc charges olthor political or porsonal in prosontlng this mattor. It is tho condition con-dition which Is confronting tho peoplo of this stato In which Vo aro Interested, Interest-ed, not what brought It about, and tho only remedy Is to cut appropriations and seo to It, undor tho penalty of a folony, that they stay cut! Now, brethoron of tho press. It Is our plain UUi IU JU1U iUlUUQ Willi U1HU1 VUUIUO and mako a fight for tho tax-ridden peoplo of Utah. Wo havo tho undeveloped resources to mako Utah one of tho greatest statos In tho Union, whon UiIb wealth is dovolopod and fashlonod to tho , uses of man. Utah has tho wealth in , hor hills and , valleys to support a ' population of millions instead of hundroda of 'thousands and excosslvo ; taxation Is the greatest handicap to i this development at this tlmo. Let us holp to llghton this load by Insisting on cutting public expenses, as tho pooplo havo to cut thofr own, and j dovolopmont and prosperity will speodlly follow. With a doubled population and tro- t boled wealth, tho burdon of taxation j will bo Ilghtcnod and tho sum total t for tho support of tho stato and stato institutions vastly increased. Then, and not until then, can wo spend with r |
