While officials suspect that most delinquents fail to pay taxes on time because of financial trouble or forgetfulness, Richardson said governments have long known that many businesses view it as a way to obtain relatively cheap and easy loans.

Deseret Morning News graphic Property-tax delinquents Requires Adobe Acrobat.

National scholarly papers have been written showing that tax delinquencies increase significantly when government penalties dip below what banks and other lenders charge for business loans.

And Utah has some of the lowest penalties and interest charged among the states.

Utah law requires a 2 percent penalty on late taxes. It also charges interest of 6 percent plus the "Federal Funds Target Rate" as of Jan. 1, which this year was 2.25 percent.

That means total interest charged on 2004 delinquent taxes is 8.25 percent. The interest on taxes delinquent in 2003 was 7 percent.

In comparison, Richardson noted when interviewed that other lending rates listed that particular day in the Wall Street Journal included the prime rate (given to those with the best credit) at 5.25 percent, credit card rates at 12.95 percent and home equity loans at 6.99 percent.

Anderson said, "Local banks indicate unsecured consumer loan rates at 10.5 percent to 15.75 percent, while secured consumer loans range from 6 percent to 11 percent, depending on the type of security."

In short, not paying taxes could amount to "loans" cheaper or at nearly the same cost as other forms of borrowing, with no waiting or applications, and only a 2 percent fee.

Despite the temptation that offers, most Salt Lake County taxpayers still pay on time. Richardson said delinquency rates in recent years have been very stable, with taxes on about 7 percent of parcels paid late, representing about 5 percent of all taxes due.