The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-31
CITY TAX RATES COMPARED,

CITY TAX RATES COMPARED.
A good deal is said in a crazy sort
Of way by church Republican writers
and speakers about the taxation in Salt
Lake City 1t is the cold fact, however,
that Salt Lake City is the only taxing
unit that gives the people anything
tangible, anything that can be seen
and exhibited to be proud of. or useful
to the public. for their money, All the
other taxing entities 90 along in their
grating, stupid way, helping the peo.
pie not one whit and absorbing the pub
lie money like a sponge to no purpose
whatever They show nothing for the
money they receive. this being all
wasted in various forms Of graft grabs,
Jobs, aud favoritism.
Salt Lake City shows ten times great.
er results, pro rata. for the taxation it
evles and receives than any other tax
ing entity in the State. Let us look AT
a few other cities and see how they com
pare, for instance. We will take four
Mormon cities in Smoot S own county
for comparison. II will not be claimed
that the American or Gentle influence
in those cities is an appreciable guam.
titY or has in any degree helped TO
swell the tax levy. Let us look at
them.
The Provo city tax rate is is mills, as
compared with (usuaD Is or (this year,
ID mills as a maximum in Salt Lake
City. The total tax rate in Provo is
Ak mills.
Pleasant Grove city levies a tax of
is mills for city purposes, Its total tax
rate is Az mills.
Springvile city has tax rate of Is
mills and total tax rate of 46la
mills
Spanish Fork has city tax rate of
ID mills and total rate of 49jI mills
None of these cities has anything to
show for the taxation levied and alb
scrbed, in the least comparable with
what Salt Lake City can show, relative
ly or absolutely. They arc dead cities,
and show little or no evidence of pro.
gress or enterprise; and yet their
tax rates in every case are
far above that of Salt Lake, save only
as TO Spanish Fork, which has the same
this year, but two mills above what
Salt Lake IS rate has usually been
Now what improvements do those
show for the high rate
of taxes collected by them? Nothing at
all.
There is another thing to consider
With regard to those cities. That is,
besides, that the assessed valuation
of property in many eases is
above any possible selling price,
which is not the case in Salt Lake. With |
respect to Provo, it may be added that |
the mayor of that city vetoed tho tax
levy made last summer by the council, |
on the ground that it was entirely in
adequate to meet the current municipal |
demands.
The essence of taxation as a burden |
IS that ii shall be burden without Civ
ng any valuable results as compeusa-
lion for the burden. The tax burden
Of tho Mormon cities is in reality
burden, a hopeless load, affording no
stimulus and helping no progress. In
Salt Lake City the tax burden is re
ieved through the enormous benefits
conferred upon the property owners in
the Improvement of their property, and
n the public betterments made, SO that
he property is always easily salable
FOR the amount of the assessment and
usually great deal more, which is not
he case in the Mormon cities.
A mparIson of this kind is valuable
as showing the difference between the
paralysis of the Mormon rule which
gives no return for the money taken
rom the people. aud the splendid bene-
fits conferred by American rule, which
.ar more than pays it's own way in the
made and the enhanced
value of property.