Show Letter From From State Tax Commission On The following is a copy of a let let- letter letter let letter ter sent to Senator Herbert B Maw Mawby Mawby law by the state tax commission which they requested us to publish in our paper May 19 1936 Senator Herbert B Maw Continental Bank Bani Building Salt Lake City Utah Dear Senator Teh May issue of the Salt Lake Tribune carries a statement purported to have been made by YOu to the effect that the State Tax Commission has failed to as- as sess public property in the manner required by a law passed at a Legislature t the 1935 session of the Legis Lc-gis- l lature and of which you were the theauthor author a In the language of tho statute we arc are thereby required to consider the the value of all tho tangible prop prop- prop critics C of utility companies upon they are arc entitled to earn a I fair f air return as determined by the Slate S tate Public Utilities Commission I and a nd to assess such properties as all allther other o ther property in the state is as- as assessed as assessed s essed You will please be adv advised sed i sedi that t hat our files disclose that we full fully cr c with the mentioned above above r reqUIrement of the law and our files s are arc open to you or orto to an other citizen to permit tion tion t ion of this feat t information In addition to obtaining t tion io concerning the rat rate bases of the t he several utility companies we assigned a one of our auditors to the work of making analysis of facts relative r to the tho value of public util it ity utility i ty property in Utah He submitted to t O us information showing the earn i earnings of the utilities their stock and bond b ond values over er a n period of years values alues v as submitted to the Public Service Commission and their book values We considered the these e factors as far as th they y were available We were alo to assess proper proper- proper roper roper- t ty property y of public u utilities as all other property is assessed as required by the Constitution of our Slate Ste S and lavIn as restated in your yom law lav In view of the fact that we too tool such pains in doing the very thing YoU vav av we failed to do we are arc at ata ata ata a complete loss to understand your statement As you know the Tax Commis Commis- Commission Commission Commission sion sits as a board of equalization tion between the third 1 Monday I in inJune fay fay and the second Monday in June for the purpose of ing equalizing the as es on monies an public utilities During this period evidence concerning tax valuations of mines an and utilities is presented o 0 the Commission by the compan compan- ies ics companies themselves and other interested persons Possibly you have additional in- in information formation which was not available to us If you have we shall op ap it very much if you ou will submit it to us as soon as possible We shall arrange to give you on am- am ie am Te Ie time to meet personally with the Commission and present all of he significant i facts which are in your our possession The valuation which has been teen zed red ed by us for the year 1936 1930 is purely tentative and therefore ample opportunity re rp remains mains to make any correction which facts will warrant In order that we may have ample time to your statements we shall appreciate it if you will present them to us at the earliest possible moment If your convenience per per- permits permits permits mits we e suggest Saturday May 23 2 at 1000 a m Thanking you in advance for your our cooperation we remain Very truly yours STATE TAX COMMISSION COM Si Signed ed Irwin Arnovitz Signed R rt E Hammond Signed II H P Leatham Signed J Wm Knight |