The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-03
MORE REVENUE
NOW THE CRY
State in Danger of Heavy
Loss Through increase in
Taxable Values.
RATE MUST COME DOWN
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION POINTS
OUT GRAVE DANGER.

~<*%%%4%&<4%<% 4SA
ynat the term Of the county assess =
OF be made four years. his term of =
= office to begin on the first Monday =
in August succeeding his election. :
mat the salaries Of assessors in =
y counties from the third to the fif- =
= tenth class. inclusive be raised. 4
mat all public moneys. when not =
y needed for Immediate use. be made to !
= earn interest 4
That the time provided for the an 4
: nual meeting of the board be :
y changed. :.
= That section 26o7 be changed by :
: striking out the word December and :
= inserting the wor.I OetobeF. :
= Repeating chapter g, session laws y
y Providing for commission to re- !
= wise the revenue laws. \
*<$+<<<<<<<4<<A<$*S<<<<
How to revise the revenue laws to pro-
vide sufficient funds for state purposes
Is the subject Of large portion of the
report of the state board of equalization
TO Governor Cutler yesterday.
he voters Of the state refused at the
last election to 50 action an ameudmeu;
to section of the constitution that the
tax of mills might not be reduced when
the valuation Of property in the state
reaches the 500. o0o.005 mark.
The board does not say how revenue
could be provided, but merely that it must
be, and suggests commission to revise
the revenue laws
The men who framed the state consti-
tuition made a provision which to them
seemed to provide a reduction OF taxes as
the people in the state grew richer A
section Of the constitution asserted that
when the S200,O00 900 mark in state valua-
ton is reached the rate of the taxation
for state purposes shall drop from mills
to mills and that Il shall still further
droE TO mills when the valuation of the
property in the state gets as high as $500,
0o0,e0e.
Heavy Loss May Come.
Utah has been prosperous and the $500
OOO,OO0 mark is not so far off The board in
1906 made the prediction that in 1908 the
valuation would go to S154 Coz, coo. 1t went
further last year. reaching S165. SS1 ,973. The
state is now threatened with the loss of
is no doubt that the property in the state
will be valued as high as 500, f01. Geo at
the close of another biennial period. The
revenues of. the state during the last year
al the present rate of S mills was 81
22I, 054 "a When the valuation reaches
500. 900 it will be but 81 100000 q reduce
ton of $50. 055.7s.
There never was need of more revenue
than at present. The state institutions re-
quiTe more. Tie report says:
THE demands upon the finances of the.
state are increasing faster than the rev
enues. Nine years ago it only cost s777-
tOJ-S1 u iuu Tue state Euat was the rev.
enue and ii answered all purposes. This
year, with revenue of SO per cent more
the institutions do not get any too much
In fourteen years the revenue laws have
been scarcely touched and the board holds
that it is time for revision and that a
conmission should be appointed to con-
slider how to do it,
Six years ago there was commission
provided by the legislature. but no pro-
vision having been made for expenses
it did 10 work
Some Escape Taxation.
The board suggests that there are some
IL the state who do not nay their Just
proportion of taxation, and adds that
there are changes and additions to the
laws which might improve this copdi-
ton. Among other things it recommends
that section 81 Of The revised laws of
1907 be repealed. This was passed under a
false impression. the report saws and If
repealed collection of taxes on cattle and
sheep would be materially assisted
The board also recommends that the
terms of county assessors be extended
from two to four years and that thew do
not take office until the first Monday in
August instead of the first Monday in
January This IS on account of the fact
that now he steps Immediately into the
work of assessment. whereas If he began
in August he would have some months
TO get ready.
The board also wants county auditors TO
make reports to it on the first Monday IN
October instead of the first Monday in
sible to get data ready for the boards
reports to the governor and the legisla-
ture-