Utah House transportation panel backs bill to identify out-of-state vehicle tax noncompliance

The Utah House Transportation Standing Committee voted unanimously to recommend favorably Senate Bill 52, the second substitute, which directs the Utah State Tax Commission to compare vehicle registration records with insurance data to identify vehicles registered out of state but insured or garaged in Utah.

Sen. Brady Brammer, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure would give the Tax Commission authority to match two databases — a commercial insurance-checking database and the Division of Motor Vehicles registration database — and notify owners suspected of improperly registering vehicles in another state. "This does not make that illegal," Brammer said, adding the intent is to bring people into compliance with existing law. He said owners who are notified would have 60 days to come into compliance before additional penalties could be assessed, including a fixed registration penalty and, in some cases, up to double…