Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-07-25 | Page 9 | Tax Valuation Cut Defended

TAX VALUATION CUT GUT DEFENDED Official Denies Boost in Levy Needed The state tax commission Saturday Saturday Satur Satur- day defended Its recent reduction in assessed valuation of property improvements in the face of assertions ns by city and school officials officials of of- that th the reduction would necessitate increases in tax levies Commissioner Howard P. P Leatham Leatham Lea- Lea tham speaking In the absence of oi Chairman Irwin Arnovits tz Arnov declared the reduction to be a I sincere and bona fide attempt to relieve the I home owner and property holder of part of hi his tax burden which long Jong has been too heavy Increase Predicted At a a- meeting of city and school officials and tax commission representatives representatives in the city and coun county building last lut Thursday the assertion assertion assertion asser asser- tion was made that the reduction would necessitate a mill increase in city taxes a a. mill Increase In Inthe the city school levy and proportionate proportion proportion- ate increases In the levies of other minor taxing units It was charged by Dr L. L John Nuttall Jr superintendent superintendent superintendent of city schools that the tax commission had bad withheld the information information information mation for months months' that the re reduction reduction reduction re- re would be made in the Mr Leatham atham disagreed with the contention that the minor taxing units unit will be forced to Increases their levies S Denies Increase n Despite the valuation reduction he said indications are that these units will willi have more money ney than they did in 1935 Thus no increase in levies will be called for Mr Leatham said sald tax commission auditors and statisticians had been assigned to to st study dy the tax records of these units to determine the exact exact effect effect of the valuation tion This report is expected to tobe tobe tobe be ready next week Mr Leatham denied also that the commission had known for months that the reduction would be made 5 The reduction was determined from reports of county county- off officials he said These reports were re received received received re- re July 21 and the announcement announcement announcement announce announce- ment of the reduction was wa made July 22 The hitherto healthy state tax picture took on a jaundiced aspect aspeci Saturday when It developed that the attack by two school districts on the th receipts from prop property redemption might spike the prospective mill 2 reduction Inthe in inthe inthe the state levy The Ogden and Provo school districts districts dis die have obtained through the state stafe supreme court an alternative writ of mandate returnable July 29 29 ordering the state tax commission commis sion Mon to show cause why the redemption redemption redemption tion funds should not be distributed to the 40 school of districts of the state to bring up to the constitutional constitutional constitutional 25 school per capita the amounts received by bythe the districts in years years' when tax receipts were Insufficient In- In sufficient to meet the 25 limit The writ also ties up the redemption redemption redemption tion fund until the court hands down a a. decision The tax commission on the e other hand must fix th the state Mate J levy vy by the end of t the el fl first st week in August