Show i ill S Sill C s atop y By Harry Marlowe Tax Reduction Probable Speedy action on income tax reduction spurred on by Gov J. J Bracken Lee was the major major maor ma- ma jor or consideration as Utah's LegIslature this week swung ino into into in- in I to o its second week of action Indication tv we were e r l' e good that Gov Lee and the States State's taxpayers taxpayers taxpayers tax tax- payers would get the sought- sought for reduction although there were vere some differences of opinion opinion ion on as to just how much of a acut acut acut cut the legislators would go for Gov Lee wants taX taxes s 's cut as asa asa asa a first order of business thereby thereby thereby there there- by clearing the decks for a realistic appraisal of the states state's anticipated revenue for the coming coming coming com com- ing biennium and also an equally equal equal- ly realistic view of how funds should be allocated And the legislators have ed with commendable promptness prompt prompt- ness to get the tax slash proposals proposals proposals I into the legislative mill As the second week opened no less than nine bills were in inthe inthe inthe the hoppers asking income tax cuts through increased Six of the bills came from the governor blueprinting his pro pro- The Lee package if adopted adopted a- a would cut some from the income tax reven reven- ue Three other bills backed by bythe bythe bythe the Utah Legislative Council want taxes cut only an estimated ed to Main feature of the governors governor's tax slash proposal are arc to up exemptions from the present presen rate of per person 1200 per couple and for dependents dependents dependents depend depend- to a exemption in all al allf f three categories Along with the increased exemptions ex exemptions exemptions ex- ex are added proposals to bring Utah tax returns more in inline inline line ine with federal returns provide provide provide pro pro- vide for a short form which is based on net income and allows federal taxes to be deducted and make the whole thing re retroactive retroactive retroactive re- re to include returns filed fil filed filed fil- fil ed this year on 1952 income Would Allot Sales Tax To 10 Schools The balance alance of the governors governor's bills take up the slack in the uniform school fund which will willbe willbe willbe be left by the income tax cut Gov Lee is asking an appropriation of be be made from sales tax revenue to the school fund for each of the I 53 1952 54 1953 and 55 1954 fiscal fiscal fiscal fis fis- fis- fis cal years Then hr because f inco the tho chief f r vo I tax reduction plans also call for elimination of state property property property pro pro- perty taxes he wants to give from sales tax lax funds to the school fund in both the 54 1953 and 55 1954 fiscal years Legislative e Council More Cautious The legislative council proposals proposals proposals are more moderate in their tax decrease They advocate that all exemptions be placed at which increases only the exemption exemption exemption tion for dependents Equitable features of federal tax laws are included the present short form would be repealed and the loss to the uniform school fund would also come out of sales tax surplus surplus surplus sur sur- plus should the council plan b be adopted Continued on Page 2 r r- r Under The Capitol Dome Continued from Page One Preliminary cloak room talk has not indicated which proposal proposal proposal sal is likely to get the legislative legislative legislative legisla legisla- tive approval or whether a compromise might be hammered out One thing though appeared appear appear- ed certain The Republican majorities majorities majorities ma ma- 8 15 in the Senate and 39 21 in the House are determined determined determined deter deter- mined to give the governor some sort of tax cuts May Be Differences There were however some in indications indications indications in- in which might possibly presage developments when the bills come up for consideration One of these was that in the House some 25 Republican legislators legislators legislators leg leg- placed their names on i ithe the bills favored by Gov Lee Among them were the majority floor leader Rep Charles R. R Peterson Peterson Peterson Pe Pe- terson R-Provo R and the majority majority majority ma ma- whip Rep Clair R. R Hopkins Hopkins Hopkins Hop Hop- kins R- R R Vernal Only six more representatives would have tobe tobe to tobe be found round to put the bill over In the Senate the division of those favoring one or the other bill is not so clear The Legislative Council tax bills appeared to have the early strength There are six Republican Republican Republican lican Senators who are members of the council and three Demo Demo- However not all signed the council tax bill Five Republican Republicans Republicans Re Re- publicans publican put their names on the governors governor's proposals One interesting feature was the comment comment comment com com- ment by Sen Marl larl D. D Gibson Price D that the governors bill comes a lot closer to the welfare commission estimates of the minimum an individual can live on than ours does Reapportionment Again Gov Lee also made one other request which the legislative council moved promptly to answer ans ans- This one was on the always always al always al- al ways hot issue of legislative re- re In his opening message Gov Lee said he hoped the legislature legislature legislature legisla legisla- ture would meet its constitutional constitutional constitutional mandate and solve the knotty problem The next day the council met and hammered together a compromise which the man 13 body felt they could agree on Under the plan introduced under council sponsorship in the Senate the House would be cutto cutto cut cutto to 53 members and the Senate cut cuL to to 21 House Hous membership MW now stands at 60 and the Senate Senate Senate Sen Sen- ate at 23 23 Up until now the big stumbling stumbling stumbling ling bl block ck to reapportionment has been the reluctance of theother theother the theother other 26 counties to al allow ow control control control con con- of the Legislature to be centered in the three populous counties of Salt Lake Weber and Utah As things now stand th the county 26 rural bloc has a majority of one in the Senate and two in th the House Under the legislative council plan the urban county trio would have 11 senators a majority majority majority ma ma- of one but would have I only 25 representatives in t the h e ehouse house to 28 for the ot others ers a minority of three I As an added incentive to rural rural rural al support for their bill the the council plans a sepa separate ate measure asking for redistribution of senate senate senate sen sen- ate districts in Salt Lake Weber Weber We We- ber bel and Utah counties Up until now each county has been one district with every citizen in inthe inthe inthe the county voting for all the senators seven in in the case of Salt Lake and two in the case of the other counties With the counties broken up into districts with one senator from each district a lot of the rural objections would be alleviated alleviated alleviated alle alle- and a better distribution of representation offered the citizens citizen's of the three counties Sanpete Would Lose Representative Under the new plan Salt Lake County would be cut from 19 to 15 members in the House of Representatives Cache Box El Elder Elder Elder El- El der Carbon and Sanpete would each lose one representative and Davis County would gain one All other counties would remain unchanged The man 21 Senate would be reached by a redistricting in the southern and eastern sections of the state Duchesne County now in a senatorial district with Uintah Uintah Uin- Uin t tah would be added to the district district district dis dis- now composed of Rich Morgan Mor Mor- Morgan gan Summit Wasatch and Dag- Dag gett Daggett County along with Uintah Emery Grand and San SanJuan SanJuan SanJuan Juan counties would make up upa a new district Sanpete and Millard Would Have One Senator Senator- Beaver County would be split away from Millard 1 and added to Iron and Washington to form another district Millard is added added added add add- ed to Sanpete making the last change This leaves Cache Box Dox BoxElder BoxElder Elder Davis and Carbon counties counties coun coun- ties tics as single-county single districts Utah and Weber counties will be split to form two two districts and Salt Lake split into seven dis dis- dis- dis Although there are apt to be several more reapportionment bills dropped into the hopper before the session ends council members arc are hopeful this bill will meet most of the Organization Completed Organization of both houses went off without a hitch following following following follow follow- ing an advance plan blueprinted for the first time since 1931 b by Republicans Sen Mark Paxton Paxton Paxton Pax- Pax ton R-Fillmore R took over the Senate president chair so long occupied by Democrats A pair of former House Speakers Sen Rendell N. N Mabey R-Bountiful R and Sen Clifton G G. M. M Kerr R- R Tremonton R-Tremonton are majority floor leader and majority whip re re- re Sen J. J Francis Fowles Ogden D-Ogden president last session session session ses ses- sion is leader of the Democratic tic minority I Over in the House Ron Rep Mer Mer- I I rill K Davis Salt R-Salt Lake be became became became be- be came the 3rd Republican speaker speak speak- er in four sessions Rep Chas R. R Peterson of Provo will guide the GOP bloc as majority floor leader cader aided by Rep Clair R. R Hopkins R- R Vernal R-Vernal Vernal as majority whip Democrats chose Rep W. W G. G Bill Larson Magna D-Magna as minority leader and Rep Wendell Wendell Wen Wen- Vendell dell Grover Riverton D-Riverton as whip Committee appointments went to key Republicans with Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- getting two minor chairmanships chairmanships chairmanships chair chair- in both houses The vital appropriations committee committee com- com will be under the joint leadership of Sen Dilworth S. S Woolley Salt R-Salt Lake and Rep Lawrence awrence B. B Johnson Ran It dolph Both are staunch backers backers backers back back- ers of the economy program of Gov ov Lee Other key Senate chairmanships chairmanships chairmanships chairman chairman- ships went to the following Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture Ag Ag- and irrigation Sen B. B H. H R- R Vernal R-Vernal Vernal Education Education Education Ed Ed- Sen Rue L. L Clegg R- R Provo highways Sen Clifton Clifton Clifton Clif Clif- ton G. G M M. Kerr Tremonton R-Tremonton health and labor Sen Frank M. M Openshaw Salt R-Salt Lake ju judiciary judiciary judiciary ju- ju Sen Edwin B B. B Cannon Cannon Cannon Can Can- non Salt R-Salt Lake revenue and taxation Sen Elias L. L Day Salt R-Salt Lake welfare Sen Taylor Burton Salt R-Salt Lake appointments appointments appointments ap ap- ap- ap Sen Rendell N. N Mabey R-Bountiful R In the House top committee heads include in addition to Rep Johnson the following Agriculture Agriculture ture Rep Archie O. O Gardner Gardner Gardner Gard Gard- ner Delta R education Rep Simeon A A. A Dunn R-Hyrum R highways and Rep aeronautics aeronautics Rep Clair R. R Hopkins Vernal R-Vernal ir irrigation irrigation irrigation ir- ir Rep Heber Sevy R- R Cedar City labor Rep Theodore Theodore Theodore Theo Theo- dore C C. Jacobsen Salt R-Salt Lake livestock Rep Welby Velby W. W Young R R-Heber City mining and smelting Rep G G. G Douglas Taylor laylor Salt R-Salt Lake public lands Rep G. G O. O Patterson R-Moab R public welfare Rep Rep John H. H Johnson Tropic R-Tropic R revenue revenue re- re venue and taxation Rep Ralph Sheffield Salt R-Salt Lake University University sity of Utah Rep Jaren Jaren Jarn Jar- Jar en n L L. L Jones Salt R-Salt Lake Sanpete Men Get Positions Positions- Sanpete's Senator A. A I I. I Tippetts Tippetts Tippetts Tip- Tip a member of the minority p par party a r t y this year was made a member of the following Senate Senate Senate Sen Sen- ate committees Education public pub- pub Uc lic institutions revenue and taxation taxation taxation tax tax- state and municipal af affairs affairs affairs af- af fairs and welfare Representative R. R Clair Anderson Anderson Anderson An An- derson of Manti was given the chairmanship of the elections committee and was m made mad a d e a member of the appropriations irrigation judiciary and resolutions resolutions resolutions reso reso- and memorials committees commit commit- tees Lionel L. L Peterson of Fairview Fairview Fairview Fair- Fair view was name of the banking committee and was made a member of the following House committees Agriculture public health University of Ut Ut- Utah ah-Utah State Agricultural College College College Col Col- lege and tuberculosis ium |