Show Utah's Still Good Although state expenditures have exceeded current revenue reve nue flue receipts in four out of the past live five Utah's fi financial Ii- Ii o condition still is good TIllS THIS POI POINT T was brought out in a current analysis of oC Utah's financial condition by Utah Foundation the private go governmental research organ organ- The Foundation report involves olves an an extensive reclassification and analysis of oC basic revenue and expenditure data from a number of oC state slate departments de de- de and agencies The reclassification was made according according ac ac- ac cording to standards and guidelines established b by the governments government's division of or the US U.S. Bureau of or the Census The study observes that Utah is one of oC only nine states with bonded no general edness At the close of oC fiscal 1962 the other 41 states had a total long term general debt debtor of or billion bUllon an nn a am amount m o 0 u un n t equal to for every man woman and child living in the nation ACCORDING to the Foundation Foundation tion report it has been the deliberate policy of oC the legislature legis legis- lature lattire and the state administration administration adminis adminis- during the past decade to meet necessary expenditure requirements by utilizing fund balances and surpluses in lieu of new taxes wherever pos pOSe sible For the most part these fund balances and surpluses I were accumulated during and after alter world war II when state spend spending Dg was held in check while inflationary forces provided provided pro pro- vided expanded tax and revenue reve nue receipts Foundation analysts warn however that the period of living Jiving off orr our own fat has come conic to a close There were few uncommitted fund balances balances bal bal bal- ances and reserves remaining at the end of the 63 1961 bien- bien As a result future ex cx- expenditure boosts that cannot be financed through normal economic and revenue growth will have hare to be met by corresponding corresponding cor cor- responding tax tac increases STA STATE TE expend expenditures lures in Utah exceeded state revenue by million last year ear according accord ing to the report State spending spendIng spend spend- ing totaled and revenue re receipts amounted to For the 63 1961 biennial bi hi- period state expenditures expendi tures were million in excess excess ex cess of oC current state revenues Approximately 45 per cent of all state expenditures in Utah are arc now going for education education edu edu- cation the report continues L Last St year the state spent 1108 million for or higher highel ed education edu cation state and for local schools and other educational purposes Not included in the above total arc are the local funds spent for education With local education expenditures included ed the total amount expended for education in Utah last year was approximately mil mil- lion Jion THE STUDY points out that the state had spent nearly half halfa a billion dollars on capital outlay outlay out out- la lay including the expanded highway construction program since the end of world war II Between Betseen 1946 and 1963 capital outlay expenditures by the thc state government in Utah amounted to million Nearly two thirds of or this outlay out lay has occurred in the past six years ears Foundation analysts note that these capital outlay totals arc for state funds only and do not include capital outlay expenditures from local funds For example since the end of world war II local school districts dis dEs in in Utah in-Utah Utah spent spent- spent approximately mat l 26 million for capital outlay over o and above the amounts provided from state funds Utah had Imd the highest state and local tax burden inthe inthe in inthe the nation during 1962 1062 according according accord accord- ing to a report just prepared by Utah Foundation the private vate vale tax research group TIllS THIS LATEST compilation and md analysis of oC state and local taxes by the Utah Foundation staff shows that paid a total of 2182 million in state and md local taxes during the 1962 1062 fiscal year This sum was equal to 1185 per cent of or the total personal income received by all residents of the state during the preceding calendar year yeal The relative state and local tax lax burden was sas equal to 1070 per cent of personal income income income in in- come in the nation and 1163 per cent in the eight Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain lain States Foundation analysts analysis observe however that although the relative relative rel reI rel- rel e aU state and local tax burden burden bur bur- den in Utah as measured by bJ personal income was 11 per pel percent percent cent above the US U.S. average last year ear it was 20 per cent above the national average ten years earlier In 1952 state and local taxes in Utah were equal to 1004 per pel cent of oC personal personal per per- income payments compared com corn pared with per cent forthe forthe for forthe the entire nation Thus while state and local taxes have risen risen rise ris ris- ris en more rapidly than personal income in Utah over the past decade the relative e state and local tax increases in other States have been even even greater TilE THE FOUNDATION study shows that the relative state and local tax burden in the Western states was som somewhat hat higher than in other parts of the nation Following are percentages percentages per per- of oC personal income goin going for state and local taxes ih iii the other Mountain States Arizona 11 1175 75 Colo Cob r l' a ado d o 1152 Idaho 1182 Montana 1272 New Mexico l 1085 Nevada Ne Nc- vada 1139 and Wyoming 1114 According to the report a major factor accounting for this higher state and local tax burden in the West is the I greater demand for certain types of oC public services such as education TilE THE REPORT indica indicates t e s that total state and local taxes in Utah last year were equal to for every man woman worn wom an and child residing in the state This amount was also equal to approximately for fOl every person in the probable probable probe able tax producing age group 64 20 |