Show legislative bills would deprive taxpayers of opportunity of studying financial statements it has been brought to light during the past week that four our members of the lower house ot of the utah state st ite legislature legislates are fostering a bill which it passed would do away with the requirement that city officials of 0 cities of the third class and officials ot of towns publish in a new newspaper paper city ordinances and annual financial statements those sponsoring the bills known as HD and HB are representatives myers of 0 garfield county whittaker ct pluto plute county george C murdock ot of beaver county and frost ot of kane county the laws as they now stand requiring that such notices be published were put into effect for the protection of the taxpayers they require that city officials and town officials in this state publish a financial statement of the city or town each year also that they publish all city and town ordinances or ameno amendments ments to ordinances only as otherwise specified in the law taxpayers in every incorporated city and town in the state pay a percentage of their taxes into the corporation tor for the purpose of paying the cost of publishing these statements and ordinances din ances the officials are required to set u up p a fun fund d lit in the annual budget tor that purpose in cities and boyns towns where these publications have not been made the taxpayers are paying tor for something they are not re elvig would meent seem that according to reports there are several communities in the state where such is the case rumor has it that officials of oc some cities and and towns practically refuse to publish financial statements according to the requirements quire ments of the present statutes it Is stated that they have given many reasons for not doing so one reason as reported by a ta taxpayer ils is that the corporation can not ULM afford to to publish the tha statements this reason in the lace face ot of the tact fact that the taxpayers have been taxed a percentage ot of their taxes for that purpose weak and III founded unless there Is something wrong in the administration ot of the corporations affairs another reported ported le reason la Is that the tha attorney for the corporation advised the officials that it was not necessary to publish the statements it such Is the case that attorney atto iney or 01 attorn les who have received payment from tax funds for advise has advised officials not to adhere to the rights of the very taxpayers from whom he or 01 they have received elved pay for foi their services what ever the reasons may be for not publishing these statements there has been no report of taxes being reduced in the communities where officials have failed to publish tho the required statements many have asked what Is being done with the tax money that Is being paid in fa foi that purpose A few have asked it it could coul d be possible that the alii money that taxpayers are paying in for the publishing of such notices Is being used by city and town officials tor for the purpose of defeating the laws that have been enacted toi for the protection of those very ery same taxpayers |