Show Rebuttal to Arguments For will prevent an Increase in A vote In favor of Proposition hospital costs which would occur if hospitals were required to pay property taxes Non profit hospitals like LDS Medical Center Primary Children's Hospital McKay Dee Utah Valley St Benedict's St Mark's and Holy Cross and have non profit nursing homes been exempt from always hospitals above property taxes Money received by their actual operating costs goes to replace worn out equipment and provide new services If they are forced to use that money to pay property taxes they will be unable to replace outdated equipment and facilities unless prices are increased The money for the new property taxes would have to come from increased hospital charges It is estimated that nonprofit hospitals trill hare to raise their room rates over $10 a day to pay the new property taxes This new tax on non profit hospitals will tax the sick the elderly and the poor Since taxing non profit hospitals will force them to increase their charges taxing them will really tax only the sick The sicker you are the more tax you will pay The elderly will be particularly hard hit They rely heavily on hospitals and most live on fixed incomes The poor who are ill more often will also have to pay more for their misfortune Taxes on non profit hospitals and non profit nursing homes will be paid by those who can least afford it! hospitals provide charitable services that government would otherwise have to provide Non profit hospitals provide millions of dollars in charity health care every year They provide free or low cost health care to thousands of people who need it but cannot pay Non profit hospitals also write ofT millions of dollars in debts from people who cannot pay their total hospital bills Taxing hospitals would reduce the amount of charity care available and could leave would have to use many people without health care Government tax dollars to provide health care to people that non profit now Non exist hospitals provide profit hospitals only to serve the community hospitals and nursing homes have always been tax free in Utah Since statehood the Legislature has considered hospitals and nursing homes exempt from property taxes Proposition would clarify in the constitution that hospitals and nursing homes are tax exempt The Legislature bypassageof SJR 4 by a majority of both houses demonstrated that it does not want to tax non profit hospitals and nursing homes This is a new tax A vote inarorof Proposition increase property taxes since non profit hospitals and nursing homes have never been taxed in Utah Vote "FOR" will not Proposition Senator Warren E Pugh 5124 Cottonwood Lane Salt Lake City Senator Fred Utah W Murray 84117 Finlinson 720 Shiloh Utah Way 84107 injunii nls in la ror of I'ruptisilttm I Proposition Is unnecessary It changes a system that working well and does not need to be changed Is status to all hospitals and should not give nursing homes only non profit charitable hospitals and nursing homes! To be tax exempt non profit hospitals shoud be charitable Truly charitable hospitals will be able to demonstrate that they deserve the tax exemption They will always be as they are now Hospitals that do not provide charity service should not be tax free just because their corporate structure u non profit! We If Proposition passes non profit hospitalswould not have to prove that they are charitable before obtaining a tax exemption They could possibly offer no charity care and still be tax exempt This is not right! If this exemption is placed in the constitution hospitals and nursing homes will not be reviewed at all If we defeat Proposition 1 counties will continue to examine these hosptials and grant a tax is deserved exemption fit is defeated! Hospital costs will not rise if Proposition Supporters claim hospital costs will increase because nonprofit hospitals will have to raise rates to cover taxes Defeating will merely allow the county commissioners to Proposition continue to evaluate them Non profit hospital rates are often no lower than for profit hospital rates Non profit hospitals charge what people will pay not what the service costs them Their rates will not change if Proposition fails Why should taxpayers subsidize hospitals when they can't prove they offer charity and cost the same as hospitals? Representative Joseph 72 West Delta M Moodv 100 North Utah 84624 Representative Spencer Wyatt 204 East Elberta Drive Ogden Utah 84404 I i i i |