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Show Tax fears realized Our worst fears about the possibility of local taxing entities using the confusion surrounding the Amax property tax issue to hike taxes are coming true," reports the Utah Taxpayers Association. , "After reviewing the budgets of just 27 of Utah's 40 school districts, we found that 15 of them are proposing pro-posing to exceed their certified tax rates this year. I'm afraid of what we'll find when we examine the other 13 budgets," said Howard Stephenson, president of the tax organization. "It appears school boards feel that since HB 397, the Amax shift, will result in average statewide property tax increases of one percent per-cent on homes and three percent on businesses, this is a good time to increase in-crease their own property tax rates amid the confusion. We fear that in these truth-in-taxation hearings, many school district may blame their own tax increases on the Legislature's BH 397." Stephenson said. Under the Amax solution property proper-ty values for homes and locally assessed commercial properties will be increasing but the Truth-in-Taxation law requires tax rates to be reduced correspondingly to prevent windfalls to taxing entities. The Utah Taxpayers Association stated, "Some local governments and schools are proposing to keep their tax rates at current levels and reap a windfall, while other are actually ac-tually increasing property tax rates." According to the association, associa-tion, Davis County is among those comities proposing to increase property taxes. "Taxpayers still have time to do something about these proposed increases, in-creases, by contacting their elected representatives on city councils and school boards and by attending the truth-in-taxation hearings which will be held in August," Stephenson Stephen-son said. For more information taxpayers are encouraged to contact the Utah Taxpayers Association at 972-8814. |