| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Donations may affect SLOC taxes
By Lisa Riley Roche and Amy Joi Bryson
Deseret News staff writers
Olympic organizers are donating $4 million worth of appliances, mattresses, furniture and other goods to nonprofit housing groups around the state — a decision that could affect their property tax dispute with Salt Lake County.
Members of the county's Board of Equalization delayed a discussion about the tax issue, pending the Wednesday announcement of the contribution.
But several on the board said Tuesday the "donation" is unlikely to change their decision to take the tax dispute with the Salt Lake Organizing Committee to 3rd District Court.
"People are missing the point on this," board member Joe Hatch said. "The problem is what the personal property was used for while it was in use by SLOC, not what it is going to be used for afterward. It is the end result that matters."
Hatch said granting the exemption would be akin to asking a county to waive the property taxes on his personal car the entire time he owned it simply because he wound up giving it to the Utah Kidney Foundation.
The county, although it exempted SLOC from paying property taxes on the speedskating oval in Kearns, said the committee had to pay $230,000 taxes for 2001 on the value of its personal property used in downtown offices and acquired for two apartments. While it acknowledged the oval's use constituted a charitable purpose, the board said the furnishings did not.
SLOC received exemptions on all its property in Weber and Summit counties and was assessed a minimal amount for a few folding chairs in Utah county.
SLOC appealed Salt Lake County's decision to the State Tax Commission, which ruled in February the county was wrong.
The Board of Equalization, which doubles as the County Council, voted 6-2 to appeal the commission's ruling in 3rd District Court.
The contribution is "not pretend by any means. It's legitimate," Marion Willey, executive director of the Utah Non-Profit Housing Corp. and a member of the SLOC board of trustees, said.
Willey said he was aware of SLOC's efforts to avoid paying property taxes but said he believed the organizing committee's motives were sincere. He said the contribution should secure the organizing committee's nonprofit tax status.
Fraser Bullock, SLOC chief operating officer, said, "This is all being done as an opportunity to have an Olympic legacy with charitable causes in Utah. We're thrilled to be able to do this. That's our entire motivation."
He added, "To the extent the county looks favorably upon this and it affects their decision, we would be grateful."
SLOC is also donating warehouse space and delivery services. Organizers are also setting up a phone bank, funded by contributions, to take requests for the goods from nonprofit housing organizations.
SLOC had originally planned to sell off all of the furnishings after the 2002 Winter Games and the Paralympics that followed for disabled athletes. The money was needed to balance the $1.3 billion budget.
But organizers ended up making more money than expected from the Games, mostly from the sale of tickets and souvenirs. So SLOC officials decided to give away some of the stuff.
E-MAIL: lisa@desnews.com; amyjoi@desnews.com
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April 3, 2002
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