Reader comments
School property tax reform proposed

So if I understand this correctly, a poor family that is renting an apartment would now be paying a lot more tax than they were before while the landlord ends up paying a lot less.

Yeah that sounds like a fantastic proposal.

Unbelievable.

I don't get it.

Why cut taxes for the rich and move the burden to the poor? By increasing the food tax this is exactly what they are doing. The food tax is the most painful tax of all to bear not the property tax, and therefore should be the one removed not increased.

What's the change in property taxes? From the explanation it will only hide what the taxes are being allocated for. Where is the tax relief? Where is the method of taxation changed? Where is the reduction in taxation on property? The method of taxation is not addressed and too closely tied with property valuation and inflated valuations. There is not any tax relief in this proposal, only a better system of hiding the taxes we are charged for education. Does this proposal change or eliminate any of the taxing entities? No, just hides them. We need grandfathered property taxes and valuations on property until it is sold for an intended use. Assumvtive taxation is what we have on property taxes, it is assumed the property owner is going to sell it every year for gain and that assumed gain must be taxed accordingly. It is a regressive property tax system that has become too much of a burden on homeowners that live in their homes. Sales tax is also regressive on food and staples to survive on and be reduced, not increased. Eliminate cities from adding on sales taxes and put them on a allotment from the state collected taxes.

Property tax is the most stable part of the school funding formula. Only those who actually own their own property pay it. Businesses are part of that pool. Sales tax is the most regressive, impacting low income families much more than those of means. The public said they want our public schools better funded. That means that we need to make MORE of an investement, not less. Dougall and Harper both know that sales tax is regressive and that they just gave some relief in this area last year. Suggesting that they would raise sales tax to cover the loss of property taxes to schools is a joke. They know it won't fly. They want to cut property taxes, period, and could care less if public schools are further disadvantaged. Both legislators supported vouchers and know that their constituients didn't. Now they need to propose a tax cut so they can brag about themselves for the upcoming election. Both, by the way, have a flock of kids educated in the public school system. Defeat the bill, then defeat them in the next election.

My rent includes the property tax my landlord pays. Cutting property taxes will lower my rent and help me be able to buy a home someday.

Another attempt to shift taxes from the wealthy to the poor. These guys never give up do they? A lot of my wealthy friends go out of state to make big purchases to avoid Utah sales tax, so there will be no help there. All you need is another residential address.
It's time to vote these yahoos out of office.

Start taxing all the federal lands in Utah, and when the Feds don't pay foreclose on it.

Utah Renter, don't hold your breath that your rent will go down. It's like everything else, if it doesn't go up you're lucky.

I'm wondering exactly what you are an insider of. Your lack of knowledge of these legislators has to make me question everything else you claim to know. What exactly do you consider "a flock of kids educated in the public school system"?? Dougall, for example only has three kids, all of which have spent considerable years at a private school before going to public.

How can you possibly claim to know what "Dougall and Harper both know" when you don't know basic facts about at least one of them?

You are banking on the hope that your landlord will lower your rent, but in the meantime the taxes your landlord paid will now also fall into your lap with increased sales tax to make up for the property tax shortfall. As a renter, you will probably pay the same rent AND will pay more sales tax. Does that sound like a good deal for you? Like I said in me earlier post, this is nothing but a shifting of the tax burden from the wealthy to the poor. Dougall represents a wealthy area of Utah county, so his legislation does not surprise me at all.

And so we continue to give up local control for state dollars.