OCR Text |
Show Survey Shows Schools Get Biggest Bite Out Of Tax Dollar Owners of commercial and industrial propety paid the sum of $177,001 or 48.5 per cent of the total property taxes charged In Garfield County last year. This compares with property taxes of $68,416, 18.7 per cent of the total, on residential property. $30,412, or 8.3 per cent on motor vehicles (passenger cars and trucks, and $81,965 (22.5 per cent) on agricultural property (farm real estate, farm buildings, machinery and livestock). These facts were brought out in an analysis of the property tax In 1968 prepared by Utah Foundation, the private tax research organization. The report notes that for the state as a whole approximately 50.4 per cent of the property tax burden was borne by owners of commercial and Indus trial property, 36.5 per cent by owners of residential property, 6 9 per cent by owners of motor vehicles, and 5.7 per cent by agricultural property owners. Total property taxes imposed In Garfield County last year amounted o $364,984, according to the Foundation report. This represented an increase of $38,889 or 11.9 per cent from the 1967 property tax total and was $144,628 or 65.6 per cent above the 1960 level. Through out the state, property taxes rose by 3.7 per cent last year and have Increased by 57.3 per cent since 1960. Foundation analyslsta point out that the main elements in the property tax rise during recent years include (1) mill levy increases, (2) new properties added to the tax rolls, and (3) valuation adjustments. The average mill levy in Garfield County last year was 66.98 mills ($66 98 per $1,000 assessed valuation). This compares with an average county wide ra'e of 58 30 mills in 1960. For the state as a whole, the average mill rate was 82.33 mills in 1968 and 65 36 mills in 1960 Schools continue to receive the largest share from property tax receipts. State and local property taxes levied for the support of the public schools In Garfield County last year totaled $'252,305. This was equal to 69 1 per cent of all property taxes imposed in the County. Taxes for county purposes amounted to $65,392 (17.9 of the total), municipal taxes were $39,504 (10.8 per cent ) , taxes imposed by special improvement districts totaled $5,967 (1 6 per cenu, and bounty taxes amounted to $1,816 (05 per cent) In 1968 Throughout the entire state, school taxes (both state and local) accounted for 64.0 per cent of the total property tax load during 1968. Property taxes imposed by county governments were equal to 18.3 per cent of the total, city and town taxes amounted to 13.6 per cent, taxes levied by special improvement districts totaled 4.1 per cent and bounty taxes accounted for only slightly more than 0.1 per cent of the Utah property tax load last year. The Foundation also noted that although property taxes charged In Utah rose by 57 per cent between 1960 and 1968. the Increase In other major tax sources has been even greater, For example, the sales tax rose 103 per cent and the Individual income tax increased 251 per cent over the past eight years. The combined av erage annual Increase in these major taxes (8.1 per cent per year), however, is less than the rate of growth in total state and local spending In Utah (average of 9.3 per cent per year) during the eight-year period 1959 through 1967. The difference between the rise in state and local spending and receipts from the major tax sources has been made up primarily through increased borrowing, ftctter Federal aid, and the use of fund balances and surpluses accumulated in ear Her years. |