TAX ALERT!
	From The Utah Taxpayers Association
	1578 West 1700 South #201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84104 PH 972-8814 FX 973-2324

To: All Members in Davis County

Re: Proposed 138% Davis County Tax Increase

Davis County Commissioners have proposed a 138% increase in the county’s portion of the total property tax. If approved, the county’s portion of the property tax would increase from $110 to $262 for a $163,000 home. A similarly valued business would see its county property tax increase from $200 to $477. If approved, the tax increase would cause taxpayers to pay an additional $15 million in property taxes.

If approved, this tax increase would be the single largest tax increase this year by any of Utah’s 640 tax entities. Only seven of Utah’s 29 counties will have tax rates higher than the proposed Davis County rate. Many of these seven counties are rural counties with low tax bases. Davis County’s new rate would be 48% higher than the weighted state-wide average for counties.

When all property taxes are considered – county, school district, city, and special service districts – the county’s 138% property tax increase would cause the total property tax bill for a typical Davis County resident to increase by 15%.

Much of this tax increase is being earmarked for the construction of a $25 million jail. Other counties have built jails in recent years but have not had to increase taxes anywhere near this magnitude. Additionally, County Commissioners are planning to use nearly half of the tax increase for expenses not related to the jail expansion.

The magnitude of Davis County’s proposed tax increase is unprecedented. Only a handful of counties are raising taxes this year. Utah County, which is demographically and economically very similar to Davis County, will be reducing expenditures this year. At the state level, elected officials, including those who represent Davis County in the legislature, have decided to reduce spending instead of raising taxes.

Raising taxes is rarely appropriate, especially during a recession when unemployment and bankruptcy rates are at historic highs and citizens are concerned about job security. Utahns already bear the 9th highest tax burden in the nation.

Commissioners have publicly stated that this increase may be reduced depending on input from the public. The county will be conducting a Truth-in-Taxation hearing on December 2, 2002 at 6:00 PM at the County Courthouse in Farmington. We urge all taxpayers to attend this hearing and voice their concerns. We also recommend that taxpayers call Commissioners McConkie, Page, and Cragun, at 451-3200 and express their concerns about this massive tax increase. The Commissioners will be making their final decision on December 16th.