Below is an overview of a residential property tax exemption bill that will be proposed by Representative Gage Froerer in the 2009 General Session of the Utah Legislation.
If passed the bill will provide relief for many residential property owners in Weber County and elsewhere who were required by county ordinance to build their homes on larger than one acre of land. The bill would also provide a vehicle for counties to penalize those individuals that illegally claim the homeowner’s exemption on multiple properties within the state.
We recommend that you give this bill your consideration, and if in agreement with it’s intent, e-mail, write or call your state representatives and senators in support of 2009FL-0057/001.
Sharon and Larry Zini
2009FL-0057/001
PROPERTY TAX - RESIDENTIAL
EXEMPTION
2009 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
General Description:
This bill amends provisions of the Property Tax Act relating to the residential property tax exemption.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
• Amends the size of residential property that may qualify for a residential exemption due to a local zoning requirement for residential property;
• Provides that a county assessor may require an owner of residential property to file a statement showing that the property qualifies for the residential exemption with the county assessor if:
-- the residential property is sold; or
-- the county assessor has reason to believe that the residential property no longer qualifies for the residential property tax exemption;
• Provides a penalty for falsely obtaining a residential property tax exemption;
• Defines terms; and
• Makes technical changes.
Effective date.
This bill takes effect on January 1, 2010.
To read the proposed bill in its entirety, click here.
7 comments:
Red Herring. He proposed the same "Keith Smith" Bill last year. The Tax and Revenue Subcommittee ate him alive for not having any specifics nor having done the required "homework". For example how much will it cost taxpayers in ALL 29 counties? How many cases are there like this in other Counties. How many cases are there of double or triple counting residential allowances.
Froerer's answers were an embarrassing "Duh, ooouh. I don't know." But it will not be significant.
Listen to the record for yourself. Froerer is just "grand standing" as usual knowing full well his bill has no chance of even getting out of committee, much less to the General Session.
Froerer is either a baffoon or blatantly incompetent.
At least he is trying to do something where people like don't be fooled just complain about any effort by anyone to make a difference.
It is always good to hear from negative people who do nothing to help, but complain about anyone who does. It shows what they are made of.
Oh! Golly Gee Whiz. I am so happy to hear that our District 8 Representative is actually doing something about our awful property taxes.
I am so upset by the County requiring us to have more than an acre to build but then taxing us way high.
I am just like Casare. I'm just so thrilled to my garments that Representative Froerer continues to put forward the same bills. The one to make it easier for developers by allowing them to skip over planning commissions is also delightful. And when I think of all our Representatives unanamously passing the Powerville thing... Well it just warms my heart. Representative Froerer just went right along with all of them, without a single thought about the consequences or constitutional rights. He was at least trying to do something.
And my Representative Gage, is just so smart and wonderful. He even is trying, for a third time, to get Reverse Mortgages passed. This will make his friends at the URA happy, since they are the ones who pay for it with lobby money. And it will help get folks like my bank, Zion's Bank of course! into the deferred taxation business, but "we are gonna get your heir's big time". He is such a sweet little man! He always does what is right for his old friends in the Realtor Association and banking investments!
Golly gee Whiz!! I just adore Gage and all he is doing for us little folks. He is really helping "represent us and our private property rights" by doing all this stuff for the voters in the Ogden Valley. So what if it will never pass. At least he is trying to do SOMETHING!
Is Gage going to offer tax relief for property owners who buy a lot within a development that has covenants conditions and restrictions requiring a home of a certain size and finish to be built on the lot???
If property owners want to divide large tracts of farmland into 1-5 acre "ranchette" parcels for development and the county requires a certain lot size based on zoning requirements, why should subsequent owners of those lots receive a tax break? Is this fair and equitable to those who pay full taxes on much smaller, lower value properties that would under Froerer's plan essentially be taxed on par with much larger higher valued properties?
I am all for aggressively going after those who falsely obtain a residential property tax exemption - just make sure it's fairly enforced and has some teeth, including penalties that perhaps go toward parks or open space in the communities they are ripping off instead of into the big black hole of the county general fund.
Seems like "Cesare" is either a newcomer around here or has been drinking the Kool Aid again.
Anything that the Republican, Developer lobby, Real estate lobby (all one and the same thing) puts forward is highly suspicious and bound to have provisions that facilitate the transfer of the public wealth to themselves.
Utah, under these NeoCon Republicans has the most deplorable government ethics in the nation. A real disgrace to the people of Utah.
Another case in point today is the exoneration of the Attorney General - by the Lt. Governor - for his blatant breaking of state law is selling the great seal of the State to the highest bidder.
It seems Lionel should stick to playing with his trains. He doesn't seem to know diddly about anything else.
Spinster, Lionel knows more about Utah and Ogden than anyone in Weber or Davis County. You need to stop diddling with yourself and us and get a clue.
How about THIS for Froerer's next tax bill. Set a minimum property tax (lower cap) for "Greenbelt" or FAA agricultural property at $100 per acre instead of the 16 PENNIES an acre these tax scofflaws have made legal for themselves to pay. This would result in a net increase to Weber County coffers of more than $110,954,723 (Millions) dollars. And it would enable a much long overdue "shift" of tax burdens from large land owners and developers, to residents and the majority of Froerer's constituents, for a change.
This, of course, would anger all those who are holding investment (non crop producing) properites and the developer friends of the legislature. But the "Greenbelt" law has been prostituted and tampered with so badly that today it is no longer recognizable as the original, circa 1963, intent to assist farmers, who actually produce foodstuffs/crop production, from subdivision encroachments with much higher property tax assessments.
Folks, an example is property parcel number 12-012-0001. It is a non crop producing 226.53 acre parcel, 2007 valued at $5,663,250 but only $3,171 was taxable (per Greenbelt claims) resulting in only $35.51 in Property Taxes paid. Folks, that is only 15.6 cents an acre.
But take heart tax payers! This year the same property is suddenly only worth $1,310,750, according to the County Assessor, with only $3,398 taxable (after bogus Greenbelt claims), making the grand total of Weber County Property Taxes paid, a MASSIVE (hold it ----wait for it....) $36.51 (or 16 CENTS an acre!!)
If we all knew what I am trying to tell you, and raised enough hell about it, the legislature might well be forced, via public outrage and outcry, to update Greenbelt laws (and rates). And in this one example, a mere $100 an acre minimum property tax would yield $22,600 versus the meager $36. Now consider the hundred of thousands of acres not being used for any crop production efforts and unmonitored by the single Utah State Tax Commission auditor. Then consider how the average residential single family home owner could receive major tax relief from the constant esculating School District taxes (which comprise between 55 to 80% of our property taxes and 100% of our onerous income taxes).
If you don't like $100 an acre, make it $50, or something reasonable to all concerned. But STOP this MAJOR drain on County Coffers and at our residential expense and subsidy.
This grotesque unfair and outdated Greenbelt law, makes the 500 delinquent property taxes look like mere pennies versus hundreds of millions of dollars. Although of course I an totally in favor of all efforts to collect back taxes owed.
The 1963"ish" version of FAA or "Greenbelt" was based upon an originally honorable and well intended farm bill, which has been perverted and bastardized by the legislature into the absurd law it remains today. Our fine "legislators" actually made it legal recently for "pleasure horses" to qualify property for Greenbelt exemptions. Like we EAT Horse meat in this Country.
If things continue without civic involvement and some public activism...we may well be dining on horsemeat very soon!
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