Show Rebuttal to Arguments Against Farming isavilal American industry Consequently govern particularly the federal government has established many and varied programs over the last 125 years to assist farmers and Anieritan agriculture This has benefilted all Americans Because the federal gorernment during the last six gears has done so poorlg bg American agriculture I see the " present state effort to gice "farm aid bg wag of proper! g tax exemptions on farm equipment as a poor inequitable and certainlg anti free enterprise manipulation of our state tax sgstem This exemption should not be allowed in the constitution! Although some farmers an- struggling right now in the future they may not he The constitution is hard to change If we place a special exemption in the constitution it will he hard to takeout later if necessary The constitution is not the place for an exemption of this sort menl The Legislature has already helped farmers through the Green Belt amendment For example property used for farming is taxed at a fraction of its value and all livestock and irrigation equipment is tax exempt Farmers already benefit from tax breaks that save them millions of dollars in taxes each year It is in this case not fair to gice one group of businessmen farmers further tax breaks at the expense of other businesses and indiriduals! To avoid higher taxes which might be imposed on other groups I recommend voting "AGAINST” Proposition 2! Senator Karl G Swan 347 Upland Drive Tooele 1'tah 84074 Proposition 2 would increase the burden on other taxpayers Property taxes including taxes on land buildings and personal property (like equipment and cars) are established in the I'tah Constitution There are few exemptions and new exemptions cannot lie added without a vote of the people The constitution intended that everyone pay taxes because everyone Further exemptions like receives the benefits of government those proposed bg Proposition 2 would make others pay more taxes Arguments igainst Proposition 2 o Opponents to the passage of Proposition 2 have suggested that exempting farm machinery from property tax is inequitable and unfair because it shifts the tax burden to other property In fact it does shift the tax burden and it should because fanners are now paying a disproportionate share of their income on property taxes (nearly 50) Please remember that farmers own homes and automobiles and other personal property too We must correct the inequity in the tax system to help preserve Utah agriculture the food machine that feeds us all three times a day Some argue that such an exemption does not belong in the More than constitution of our legislators disagree Please vote "FOR" Proposition 2 Peterson Senator Cary 406 East N'ephi 500 North Utah 84648 For those who say we should treat those in agriculture the same as other businesses we agree However there is a law in Utah that allows most businesses to mark their product up at least 6 above cost before resale Farmers cannot set their prices and their products are selling below cost of production Farmers are caught in the middle The constitution drafted in 1895 under very different conditions allows for change as conditions change In 1895 the majority of Utahns were directly involved in agriculture Now only 2 are farmers With the very expensive machinery they use and their products selling below cost they cannot continue to operate At least 2 other states including Colorado Oregon Nebraska and Texas have exempted farm machinery from property tax Representative 2(HI9 South Evan 3200 West Young Ward L Olsen Route Utah 84339 Taxes should be fair! The fairest tax is a broadly applied tax with few exemptions Fair exemptions should be given to everyone or to as many as possible Exempting only farmers from property taxes on equipment is not fair It means taxpagers like gou and me will have to bear more of the tax burden Why fanners and not others? To be fair this exemption have to be given to other groups and industries Taxes on equipment constitute up to 60 of property taxes paid by some industries Several groups have already asked for a similar exemption Many of us would like to have our cars exempt from taxes too However exempting everyone from taxes on equipment or cars would cause massive tax increases on homes and businesses It is not fair to gice an exemption like this onlg to would farmers To keep property taxes fair and as low as possible let's not allow exemptions that are unfair to most Utahns! If we can't grant this exemption fairly let’s not grant it at all Vote “AGAINST" Proposition 2! Representative Franklin W Knowlton Box 426 Layton Utah 84041 pm is |