OCR Text |
Show revaluation and equalization soon deteriorate. For example, the average assessment of the three counties (Millard, Uintah, and Washington) which had been revalued in 1973 had declined to 16.89 percent by 1974. Similarly, the average ratio in the ten counties which had been revalued in 1972 had dropped to 14.79 percent by 1974. To correct the desparities that occur between revaluation periods and to provide for continued con-tinued equalization among counties, the Utah State Tax Commission is considering making annual assessment adjustments in those years when a physical revaluation is not made. Such a program would require computerization of all tax records which would proceed at the rate of 20 percent per year, thus taking about five years before the program would become completely operational. Legislation enacted by the 1969 Utah Legislature called for reappraising all locally assessed real property every five vears on a county-by-county rotation basis. The Foundation report observes that reappraisals had been completed in 17 of Utah's 29 counties by 1974. Four more counties (Cache, Davis, Grand, and Weber) were completed for the 1975 tax year. The report estimates that it probably will be 1978 before all of the remaining nine counties are completed. Thus, it will take about eight years instead of five to complete the first cycle of the reappraisal program. The study points out that there were a number of factors that caused delays in the initial revaluation cycle. For the most part, these difficulties will be overcome during the initial revaluation cycle, and subsequent sub-sequent revaluations should be completed in the prescribed five-year five-year period, if sufficient funds continue to be appropriated for the program. Among the other observations made in the Utah Foundation study are the following: .For residential and farm properties, the property tax burden in Utah appears to be somewhat below national and regional averages. There are indications, however, that commercial and industrial property taxes in Utah are above average. .Although the property tax has declined somewhat in relative importance, it continued to be the largest single state and local tax producer in Utah until last year when the sales tax surpassed sur-passed it in total yield for the first time. .Most states require disclosure of sales information whenever property is sold or transferred. This is not done in Utah, however, and Tax Commission officials claim that, such disclosures are important to the administration of the revaluation program. .There is growing recognition by tax officials across the nation that the taxpayer should receive better information as to exactly how property assessments are determined along with instructions in-structions pertaining to his right of appeal. .Follwoing approval of a constitutional amendment in 1968, Utah enacted legislation which provides perferential tax treatment for owners of agricultural land. Several recent studies have recommended that this law should be amended to eliminate abuses and to insure that lands qualifying under the act are true agricultural operations. .Although six states have adopted a classified property tax, where business property is assessed and-or taxed at a higher rate than residential or agricultural property, most tax authorities have strongly denounced the move. As observed ob-served by the tax official charged with the responsibility for administering the classified property tax in Minnesota: ". . . it cannot work equitably; that is it has no effective brake on it; and that it leads to changes in the property tax law which are inspired in-spired by politics rather than by economics." ENOCH and MIDVALLEY By Veda Matheson Mr. and Mrs. Charles Heaton were here for the weekend on business and to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Glendon Heaton. Mr. and Mrs. Glendon Heaton made a recent trip to Springville and Provo to visit with their daughter Marilyn and with Mrs. Hea ton's mother. Joe Armbruster Jr. is spending a leave here from the U. S. Army with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Joe Armbruster Sr. After his leave he will be stationed in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. LaMar Matheson and family enjoyed an overnight visit from Mr. Robert Cowen of Lawndale, Calif, on Wed. of last week. Mr. and Mrs. LaMar Matheson spent last Wed. in Hurricane. Mrs. Amanda Pace spent a few days in the Valley View Medical Center for tests and treatment. Mrs. Pearl Halterman, who has spent a few weeks in the hospital is now well enough to be at the home of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Donel Hunter. Mr. and Mrs. JoeSmith went to Salt Lake last week for Joe to have a checkup from his doctor there. He was hospitalized for tests. Mr. and Mrs. Worth Grimshaw were in Las Vegas the latter part of last week to attend the wedding wed-ding of their friend Mike Durrell. Mr. and Mrs. Lanny Herron who are recent new residents of MidValley, enjoyed a visit from Mrs. Herron's parents, Mr. and Mrs. LaMar Shaw and her sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Scott Jensen all of Magna. Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Argyle of Las Vegas were weekend visitors at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Webster. Mrs. Joan Thomsen and boys were here to spend last week with Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Grimshaw. Mr. and Mrs. Justin Gray were in Salt Lake the first part of this week where Mrs. Gray's father had surgery. |