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Letters to the editor, Aug. 10-12: Shed a light on property taxes

Shed a light on taxes

Park City, Your taxes are going up but Home Depot, McDonalds, Starbucks, etc were lowered!

While your taxes are going through the roof, commercial properties like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Starbucks, Chase Bank, Home Depot, Smiths, Whole Foods, and many more have lower tax bills! Of course, not all flew under the assessor’s radar, as many commercial properties on Main Street received near 100% tax increases!



There are numerous residential properties in Deer Valley, Old Town, The Canyons, and all over Park City / Summit County that have received tax reductions.

Summit County has net zero tax collection, meaning that only enough taxes are collected to meet next year’s budget. When some of the properties are under-assessed, all properties with fair assessments pay more than their fair share of taxes. These properties literally pay the taxes for the ones that are assessed below fair market value. This especially hurts low income families.



Appealing your assessment is not the answer, it shifts the burden of proof to you and does not address the real problem, which is the billions of dollars worth of properties that are under assessed and flying under the assessor’s radar. If everyone was assessed fairly, the increased tax revenue from new construction would likely be enough to prevent tax increases.

Our elected officials have allowed this to happen for many years. It is time to put an end to it. We have a group of concerned citizens and have created a website to shed light on this problem, it’s http://www.PCTaxJustice.org.

We will attend the “Summit County Property Taxes 101” meeting on Wednesday Aug 10 at 1885 W. Ute Blvd Park City. We invite all concerned citizens to attend.

Jeff Danos

Park Meadows

What happened to truth in taxation?

I am, like many of my surrounding property owners in Park City, very concerned over the substantial increase in our property taxes.

Most of us appreciate (pun intended) the fact that our properties have increased in value. Comparing the 2022 Market Value of my home, to those that have recently sold in the area, it seems they are fairly accurate in their assessment. I DO NOT object to the assessed Market Value.

I do however, STRONGLY, object to the increase in Property Tax. According to “Utah’s Truth in Taxation for Property Taxes” and I quote “Generally, as valuations of existing property increase from county assessors’ annual adjustments to keep pace with market values, PROPERTY TAX RATES DECREASE. This automatic reduction in property tax rates prevents local governments’ from getting a windfall simply because valuations of existing properties have increased.”

It seems to me that Summit County Officials may not understand Truth in taxation and the use of reduced property tax rates, known as the Certified Tax Rate. Which when applied helps erase this windfall.

I suggest they refer to “Utah’s Truth in Taxation for Property Taxes” by Sen Howard Stephenson July 23, 2019, to better understand how to calculate the correct increase in Property Tax.

Jon Manwarin

Thaynes Canyon

Taxes impact seniors

Our country is close to a recession. The price of food, gas, electricity have risen exponentially. However the value of our homes is starting to go down. So this is the year you decide to nearly double our property tax. To the thousands of seniors living in Summit County on a fixed income, this is a real hardship which will probably force many seniors to sell their houses.

My husband died two years ago so I am well aware of the hardship this additional amount of property tax will cause.

I have made no improvement to my house for years, I also do not see any explanation as to why you suddenly in one year, double our property tax.

I wrote a letter to the editor that was published a few years ago. It was titled Senior Need Support. It is as relevant today as it was then because nothing has been done.

Please note that many bills have passed, including the latest school bond because seniors voted for them – and we do vote.

Gerd Holmsen Aguilar

Park Meadows

Letter to the Editor

School district must lead

Park City School District is being investigated by the federal Office of Civil Rights for persistent and ongoing violations. It’s a very big deal that has a lot of our community on edge.



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