Why you should appreciate your property tax bill

The way the law works, a local government's tax rate declines when property values rise, ensuring that the local government doesn't collect more money. In reality, however, many of you saw large increases in your taxes this year. This could be because your home appreciated more than homes in other parts of the county. It could be because one of the many taxing entities listed on your annual bill did indeed raise taxes. It could be because you voted to raise taxes for a bond to build schools or some other thing. Some governments wait several years after such a vote before actually imposing the tax increase. It could be a combination of all the above.

The Utah Taxpayers Association says property tax revenues actually increased 10.4 percent this year. But if you subtract all the genuine, publicized tax increases, the increase was 6.4 percent, probably mostly due to growth.

Some people are clamoring for a California-style lid on property taxes. Your rate, they say, should be assessed forever at the price you paid for your property. When you sell, the buyer should pay a higher rate based on the new purchase price.

My advice is to take some more turkey this Thursday until the feeling goes away.

The truth is, taxes pay for vital services, and those cost more over time. Any changes to the current law would shift the burden — either to younger homeowners or to other taxes. There is no free Thanksgiving.

Want lower taxes? Focus on how your governments spend money. But don't mess with a tax collection system that, although painful and messy, is about as fair as it gets.

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Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret Morning News editorial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com