Show Tax on Gasoline J for R Road ad Money I As ex officio collector of the state automobile license tax and admInistrator administrator administrator adminis admInis- of the state automobile laws generally H H. E. E Crockett secretary of state has been of late making an intensive study of some o of the problems problems problems lems confronting his office in this regard Last week he announced his intention of bringing before the next legislature in as effective a manner as possible a new and aud as he believes believes believes be be- more just ad equitable method method meth meth- od of raising revenue revenue for roads from the automobile industry and I also a plan whereby the license plates issued annually to Ita automobile owners might be manufactured by bythe bythe bythe the state itself utilizing the work of convicts at the state prison The more I study the principle of at the gasoline tax said Mr Crockett Crockett Crock Crock- ett and its workings In some omo fourteen fourteen four tour teen or 01 fifteen state mat have haTe al already already already al- al ready It the more convinced ed I am that it is the proper method of raising revenue from automobile traffic Would Decease Se Licenses License I do not know that i t would favor the abolition entirely of the present license tax but with the gasoline tax the license tax could be reduced to 10 a a. minimum and made to apply to all cars alike The license law Is necessary and performs a ne necessary essary function outside of being being- a method of raising revenue for road construction construction tion and maintenance It provides a means of Identifying cars car and Isan is isan isan an excellent deterrent as al now worked worked worked work work- ed out against automobile theft It should possibly be made to produce enough revenue to enable the efficient efficient efficient effi effi- administration or the tho automobile automobile automobile automo automo- bile laws But for a tax for tae I support of roads it appears to me that the gasoline gasoline gas gas- oline olIn tax comes as near placing the burden of road construction and maintenance on those who use the roads as any other form as yet de de- The commercial truck which I Is Is' using the roads all the time and sometimes sometime causing them consIderable considerable considerable consider consIder- able wear and tear should in my opinion pay more towards to the maIntenance maintenance maintenance main maIn- of those roads than does th the passenger car whose owner owner may confine confine confine con con con- fine his u use c to an occasional pleasure pleasure pleasure pleas pleas- ure spin on Sundays Sundays' or holidays or of ot an evening e Would Uc Reach Tourists Consumption of gasoline is somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what proportionate to the load and also to the speed at t which the car Is driven and both load and speed are Important factors in tho the wear and tear on roads It appears more equitable to mo me that the man who uses the roads most hould should contribute most to their construction and upkeep There are other considerations For example the tho tourist uses Utah roads In tho the aggregate ho uses them a lot Under present conditions conditions condi condl- he lie pays pas nothing toward the service service ser ser- cr- cr vice thus rendered him but if If 11 a gasoline tax were In force he would o l i contribute something to tJ road funds of the state ana ane tits thus s help to share the burden winch which now rests entirely on the shoulders of the people peo peo- pie of Utah There is another class of automobile automobile automobile auto auto- mobile owners largely residents of or Utah perhaps who may maT go for Cor the winter to California or some other state There they purchase a a. Ca California California Cali Cali- i- i fornia license because they are unable unable unable un un- able to get by on a Utah license atthe of at the year before on the tho California roads They have haTe contributed nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing to the suppo support t or Utah roads yet they return to Utah In m the Gum summer mer and use their car with Us its ts California license for Cor the remainder of the year on Utah roads I believe there are hundreds or instances of this kind In which the car owners would come under a gasoline tax If 11 made effective in Utan Easy to Apply The gasoline tax Is easy to col col- lect let There are not many wholesalers wholesalers wholesalers whole whole- salers of gasoline in the state and these would contribute the tax moneys on their importations of gasoline or on gasoline sold In Utah With this check on a rew few establishments establishments establishments establish establish- ments the state would be put to practically no expense nor Is the tax much more difficult to pay An automobile automobile automobile au au- owner may feel somewhat vexed If 11 he has to come to this office and pay anywhere from 1250 to 50 for a license In a lump sum yet If it he contributes a dime or a quarter of ot It now and again as he purchases gasoline he ne win will scarcely ly feel reel the burden at all With regard to the manufacture of license plates at nt the state prison Mr Crockett has obtained figures to show that the necessary sary plant could be Installed at the prison for between and Utah Is no now paying he points out about a year in obtaining Its license plates from other states For each plate necessary the steel 1 would cost less than three cents he heIs heis heis is Informed and would help to boost Utah industry since the plates could be manufactured here Two coats of background paint two coats for forthe forthe forthe the n numbers and a finishing JI of var vat varnish varnish nish would cost nc according according to late figures collected b by br r Mr Crockett ett from 1 4 1 to 1 i 2 1 2 cents Th The remaInder re remainder remainder re- re re- re of the cost would be beo represented represented se ted by labor Including supervision ion and possibly a trifle trine In supplies Would Aid AH All It appears to Mr Crockett Crock Crock- ett eU that here Is an Industry industry- In which the state might er e rage er-rage age without without with with- out in any sense c competing with any any ny existing Industry tn ii In Utah Not only the plates for Utah might I m manufactured manu manufactured manu manu- nu- nu at the state prison but al al also also so those for or surrounding states which have no such factory at p present present pres pres- es- es ent and which send their orders out- out Continued on Last Page Pago TAX TAY ON OX GASOLINE Continued from First Page side their Y I For the la labor or of th the een or orI I twenty t convicts who would b be zeI ze- ze re 1 re's s 's to operate such a a. factory I some allowance ita say 25 26 to 30 a month could be made to their lies This would result in saving saTing money for tor the state and at the same time would relieve the state of ot the situation now so common commo where families of ot Imprisoned men beg for tor their release on the ground that their support is vital to the family With Witha a definite monthly allowance to the family such a condition would not exist |