Show f I Property taxes totaled in Uintah County last year Although the property tax commonly Is regarded as a tax lax charged to homeowners more than half of all property taxes Imposed In Utah last year was paid by owners of commercial and industrial property properly TillS THIS WAS ISAS pointed out by Utah Foundation the private tax research organization in tn their latest analysis of the property tax The Foundation report which was based on data gathered by bythe bythe bythe the Utah Sta State te Tax Commission shows that total state and local property taxes levied throughout Utah during 1973 amounted to The various identifiable classes of commercial and industrial property accounted for or percent of this total On the other hand residential property properly taxes equaled or percent of the total and agricultural property taxes were or 49 percent of the tota total I. I IN ADDITION to these major categories property properly taxes on motor vehicles amounted to 82 percent of the total and miscellaneous property taxes equaled 15 ns percent 01 ol the totals total Motor 1 vehicles include commercial trucks and business vehicles as well as passenger cars and farm Carm trucks A significant part of the miscellaneous category also consists of taxes on business items There is considerable variation among Utah's Ulah's 29 counties coolies In the proportion of property taxes coming from the various property sources according to the Foundation IN 11 UINTAH County last year total property taxes levied amounted to Commercial and industrial property accounted for or percent of this total residential property properly was equal to percent agricultural property percent motor vehicles 72 percent and all other property 22 percent Total property taxes imposed in Utah last year rose by or 08 percent According According According Ac Ac- cording to the Foundation report all of this gain can be accounted for by new property added to the tax rolls and by increases in existing valuations Actually the average tax tux rate rule In Utah declined from 82 04 mills In 1972 to mills In 1973 a reduction of mills The 1973 average statewide rate for Cor Utah Ulah is the lowest since tIC 1964 1904 4 1101 FOUNDATION IJ TIO analysts point I that h 1 the recent reductions In overall mill rates do not necessarily guarantee corresponding reductions In total property properly taxes paid by individuals and business concerns con con- cerns In ht some instances the reductions in tax rates arc more than offset by increases in assessed valuations This is especially true in those counties which have been revalued under the year five-year reappraisal program Most of the property tax revenue in Utah is used for the support of the public schools The Foundation report shows that school property taxes amounted to or 01 percent of all property properly taxes imposed last year ear In addition to the property properly tax lax public schools receive all of the sta state te individual and corporate Income Income Income In In- come tax revenue along with a sizable portion of state general sales tax revenue through transfers from the general fund to the uniform school fund I j ALTHOUGH Tilt 1111 public schools receive the bulk of the property properly tax lax receipts levies by special Improvement districts and by counties have been rising Ising more rapidly than those Imposed for other purposes during recent years Between 1968 Ifill and 1973 1913 for example property taxes increased 73 percent er ent for special improvement districts and 39 percent for Cor county purposes The Foundation observes that this rapid growth probably is isa isa isa a reflection of the above above- average population expansion in the incorporated areas especially along the Wasatch Front School property properly taxes on the theother theother theother other hand have risen about 18 percent during this same five- five year period The report points out however that the public schools have bave been receiving increasing amounts from tax lax sources in recent years Property Properly taxes levied levird by municipalities and towns increased about 25 percent which is approximately approximately approximately ap ap- proximately the same in increase increase increase in- in crease recorded for all property taxes in Utah during the 1968 1973 period |