294 THE FISCAL PROBLEM IN MISSOURI 
an important variable, and, unless a comparison of property 
tax burdens! were included, it would not be possible even to 
approach the question of total tax burdens. Sales value as 
an indicator of the value of manufacturing properties is 
practically useless, as has been pointed out previously, and, 
unless facilities were available for determining the general 
property tax rates on true value in the manner indicated, 
any conclusions that might be derived would have little 
value. 
This analysis represents little more than an approach to 
the problem of comparative tax burdens on manufacturing 
corporations. It is not known that any analysis of the prob- 
lem in the manner indicated has ever been made, and, until 
data resulting from an analysis of property tax burdens on 
manufacturing plants producing competitive products are 
available, the problem of comparative tax burdens on manu- 
facturing corporations in the several states must in large 
part remain unsolved. The same applies to corporations 
in other lines than manufacturing, although in certain lines 
the value of the tangible property assessable would be pro- 
portionately much less than for manufacturing corporations. 
Although there are no data which can be used to compare 
the income of corporations derived in Missouri and total 
state and local taxes on corporations in Missouri, there is 
one aspect of taxes paid by corporations that deserves men- 
tion. For the calendar year 1928, the federal corporation 
income.taxes collected in Missouri amounted to a little less 
than $34 million. To what extent this figure might be 
altered, if allowance were made for taxes on income of cor- 
porations reporting from Missouri derived from other states 
and taxes paid by corporations in other states on income 
derived from within Missouri, it is difficult to say. It would 
seem safe to conclude, however, that Missouri and other 
corporations contributed between $30 million and $40 mil- 
lion to the Federal Government on account of taxes on in- 
come derived within Missouri. If the variable factors could 
be eliminated and it were found that the federal corporation 
! General property taxes paid in relation to income would represent only one ap- 
proach to the problem. Since income varies both as to time and place, the rates on 
true value would have to be determined before absolute comparisons could be made.