Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-08-06 | Page 7 | Schools Asked to Tax Parley

SCHOOLS ASKED TO TAXPARLEY Special to The Telegram PROVO, Aug. 6 Refusing to capitulate ca-pitulate to the state tax commission demand for a 20 per cent blanket ln-creass ln-creass In assessed valuation of Utah county farm lands, the Utah county commission has scheduled a meeting meet-ing with school boards In the county Saturday to determine a course of action. The schools play a vital part In ths controversy, it waa explained, because t'.ie state can refuse to allocate al-locate the equalization fund to the schools until the farm land equalization equal-ization order is obeyed. The action was taken following a meeting of the state and county groupa Thursday afternoon which was marked by heated argument over the order. Opinion Voiced Howard P. Leatham, following the meeting, said the county and not the state has the last say in tax reduction by authority to fix the tax levy. "If the county commissioners of Utah county are sincere In their contention that they are anxious to reduce taxes In this county, they have the last say in this matter," Commissioner Leatham said. "The responsibility of determln-' determln-' Ing th amount of taxes to be paid by the taxpayers of Utah county rests wholly with the local public officials. Th county board has absolute ab-solute control of the taxes charged and they can be increased or decreased de-creased by th simple method of increasing or reducing th levy to be applied against property in Utah county." A statement released by th county coun-ty commission and I M. Atwood, county assessor, Thursday afternoon, after-noon, said: "Th question Involved Is not merely the lowering of taxes but of equalizing taxes between inter-eats. inter-eats. Farm lands have been carrying carry-ing the heavy burden of taxation for years." Reduction Provided Th levy can be reduced aa the tax commission contends," Chairman Chair-man Johnson said, "but this does not equalize th taxes between the farm owner and other Interests." . E. Booth Soreason, county auditor, audi-tor, who received th state order for a blanket Increase In valuation, also was awaiting a legal opinion be for acting. His request for an opinion dealt with the providing of funds to handle han-dle the bookkeeping and new assessment assess-ment notices necessitated by the change. He contends his budget will not allow this additional expense.