Show Study Clarifies Green Belt Amendment Utah Farm Bureau president president president dent Elmo Hamilton expressed expressed expressed sed appreciation to Dr Rondo Christensen of for his recently released study of the probable effects of the Green GreenBelt GreenBelt GreenBelt Belt amendment on assessed values taxes and mill levies in Salt SaU Lake County THIS TillS SCIENTIFIC study has laid to rest many of the objections to this amendment which is so necessary necessary necessary sary to the future of farming in Utah Mr 1 Hamilton said The report published last week in Utah Science a Utah State University publication was based on nearly a year of work and carefully examined many of the assessments valuations valuations valuations val val- val val- and histories of a large number of farm plots in Salt Lake County Records were obtained from the County Assessors Assessor's Assessors Assessor's Assessors Assessor's As As- sessor's office THE REPORT pointed out oui that not all farm land in m Salt Lake County would qualify for differential assessment as proposed by the amendment Probably not more than 70 percent would qualify The report also indicated that if the assessed values of all classes of taxable property property property prop prop- erty in Salt Lake County were increased to at least 20 percent percent percent per per- cent of value and differential assessment were permitted on qualifying farm land tax revenues were held at the 1967 level the assessed value of farm land would increase from 78 m million Ilion in 1967 to million DR CHRISTENSEN'S study indicated that if the thc assessed value of all taxable property in Salt Lake County were raised and equalized at 30 percent of value assessed valuation on In farm land would increase from 78 million in 1967 to 1 52 million if differential assessment assessment assess ass ment were permitted Without differential assessment the assessed assessed assessed as as- value of farm land Jand would increase percent compared with an average increase increase increase in in- crease of percent on all property Salt SaU Lake County's farms would simply collapse under that kind of tax in in- in most crease-most of them would be out of business within a year said Mr 1 Hamilton The study also pointed out that with the differential assessment provided for by bythe bythe bythe the Green Belt amendment the average mill levy on all taxable property would be only 14 mills higher than if there were no differential assessment assessment assessment as as- on qualifying agricultural agricultural agricultural ag ag- ag- ag land This would mean of tax for each thousand dollars of valuation |