| Show State Stat and County Face Higher Levies As Valuations Drop T Total Decrease May Reach When M Mines nes Utilities Are Assessed Tax Tax ridden Utah already groaning under an excessive burden Wednesday Wednes- Wednes d day y faced the distressing prospect o of even higher taxes for 1932 With the rec receipt by the state tax commission a of greatly reduced assessed assessed as as- valuation reports from the auditors auditors auditors au au- of f Salt Lake and Utah counties counties coun coun- ties tics the decrease in state property values as reported by c county assessors assessors assessors asses asses- sors mounted to That the total would rea reach h when the tax commission commiss on reports its its' assessment of mines railroads and public utilities in the state and when overdue reports from the county auditors auditors auditors au au- au- au of Carbon Davis and Juab arc are received was was considered consider dc almost almost al al- most certain Since the state levy lovy is based on these valuations relieved somewhat by ay income tax receipts the prediction was fre freely ly made at t. t the capitol that tha thata a substantial increase in the 1932 state taxes will be made when the tax commission fixes the two sch school ol and general fund levies in the next five days AMOUNT DOUBTFUL What the increase would be could not be accurately estimated until the thel l tax Lax x commission reports its assessed valuations of properties under wider its jurisdiction but a a raise of one one mill mil was considered a conservative esti estimate mate The state in 1931 levied a a 24 mill mil tax for general purposes the limit fixed by law The legal limit of two two- tenths of a mill for state high schools was also levied The 1931 tax for district schools was 56 making a total state levy of 01 82 mills Grave doubt has been expressed as asto asto asto to whether the state can raise the 25 per capita total required for tor district schools without raising the l levy vy for that purpose to 66 mills which would result in a total state tax of f 92 mills Swamped with work the tax commissioners com corn missioners withheld comment Wednesday Wednesday Wed Wed- explain explaining ng th that t the they c could uld not estimate the threatened increase if f any before the total ass assessments In n the state had been compiled Commenting on n the report of the Salt Lake county auditor however Commissioner Roscoe E. E Hammond Continued on pj Pace C Fourteen e HIGHER LEVIES ARE FORECAST Continued Prom From Pate Page Nine j said that a substantial reduction fa fri the states state's valuation of Salt Lake county and other property in s was certain S HUGE DROP SEEN He pointed out that mines are as- as 4 on a basis of three limes their their- j net proceeds for the preceding year t tand and that due to shutdowns the 1932 valuations of that class of property would drop by many millions It was conservatively estimated that hat the decrease in Salt Lake county property valuations would run close to under the 1931 total The 1932 total reported by the county auditor is a decrease of 5 The states state's assessment for 1931 in eluding mines was for Salt Lake county Mines were valued for tax purposes by the commission j jat at S i Utah county's assessed valuation d decreased the report re re- received y bv by the commission Wednes 1 day disclosed The total as reported by jy the county auditor was as compared with his 1931 totals of i iThe The 1932 report lists real estate at improvements at livestock at personal property at This property was assessed by the tax commission in 1931 at Only five days remain under the p law for the commission to fix the state levies The law limits the time timeto to the last Monday in the current month July 25 Whether the commission com mission would be in a position to tart take such action in the short time was considered doubtful The office was closed Monday af while commission members arid and attended the funeral Hunter Snow chairman of the commission who died suddenly suddenly- Monday i Later Commissioners R. R E. E Ham Hammond mond and H. H B B. B Leatham planned to leave for St St. George to conduct hearings hearings hear hear- ings Thursday on appeals of property proper proper- ty owners for reductions in VallI 3 lions made by the Washington coun county ty tIe assessor On Friday they planned to hear appeals ap- ap peals at Richfield Next week appeals will be heard at Farmington Od Owen and Brigham City Meanwhile George A. A Critchlow another member ale mem- ber of the commission will be con con- during hearings in Salt Lake county on appeals for reductions in the the w- w valuation of approximately j worth of property 3 |
