Show commissioners STRESS IMMEDIATE CONTROL OF 0 F TAXES IN STATE nn it prom prompt P t action urged for making budget EDITORS NOTE THE SUBJECT OF TAXES IS OF SERIOUS importance TO OUR READERS AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR THE STATE TAX commission HAS PREPARED A SERIES OF FIVE ARTICLES ENTITLED CONTROL OF PUBLIC expenditures WHICH WE CONSIDER OF INTEREST AND OF ED VALUE ONE WILL APPEAR EACH WEEK IN THE ROOSEVELT STANDARD general property taxes in utah become delinquent in december most taxpayers profess to be painfully aware of this fact not so many taxpayers appear to realize that if anything is to be done in the way of effective reduction of the tax bill falling due the following november december la Is the month when it should be done yet it is in december that the program for public expenditures by count counties les cities and towns for the following year Is made up school districts make up their annual programs or budgets for the fiscal year beginning july 1 each june if expenditures the are on the program so made up the money will in ill all probability be spent and the chief it if not the only way in which counties cities towns and school districts may raise funds to pay tor for such expenditure pend iture 3 is through the general property tax the programs fixed in december and june therefore fix the levies which are collected collect ad the fol lowring lowrin november it is useless to hold september gnass in iss meetings and declaim against tai ta deviea when the money has already been spent it is a waste of time time to attempt lax reduction through i in ilic assessed valuation ot property it if the expenditure has been made a reduced assessed valuation means simply an increased levy but it is very much worth while alile to study bud budgets gets before they are approved and it is time well spent for property owners to meet with their representatives in public office and determine what money should be spent the coming year jn may the taxpayer receives a notice from the county treasurer of the valuation chidi has been placed on his property for taxation purposes lie ile my inny por test 0 to o the county blaid boa d of equalization iza tion it if the assessor la Is capable aice conscientious the tax plyer payer will usually learn lima iva Is on oil the same basis 03 his nei neigh 9 h bars and his protea 4 to wit without holit valid ground in september comes the tax bill from the county treasurer the taxpayer may be sorely tried to find the money to meet the obligation but it he objects it will be only to learn that it Is too late to do anything about it but perhaps before this latr in july lie he may have urged the local officials to reduce their levies only to find that more than halt half the current taxes have hare al ready been spent and the re ma manader maii ider iader in all probability has been already obligated Is 13 the situation then hopeless it is entirely beyond the power of the taxpayer to regulate on oil the contrary it is within his control furthermore ample opportunity is given every taxpayer to assist in fixing the amount of taxes to be paid in his bin community of course the law does not permit the individual taxpayer to fix the amount of his own taxes to the extent of compelling others to pay the taxes he should pay nor nar does it allow an individual to escape the payment of 0 a tax duly levied the benefits of which lie he has already enjoyed just as the law doe doea a 3 not permit an individual to buy goods on credit and then to escape payment after the goods are consumed but the law does give the individual opportunity to join with others in determining in advance the amount of taxes to be paid in h his ls community tapa is one of th the fundamentals that thata must be understood if the taxpayer is to exercise effective voice in control of his tax levy the next article in this series meriea will deal with a brief analysis of th tire the e property taxes in your community tor for the current year |