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Governor O'Lovitz urges lawmakers to fund schools by reining in tax exemptions, not new property taxes
Summary
Governor Michael O'Lovitz urged the 1993 Utah Legislature to adopt Senate Bill 1, which would limit property-tax increases by targeting outdated tax exemptions and creating a 'critical school fund' to direct aid to the most needy districts; he cited projected state contributions and savings from recent exemption trims.
SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Michael O'Lovitz told a joint convention of the Utah Legislature that Senate Bill 1 seeks to repair inequities in the state's school finance system by shifting the first line of funding from property-tax increases to a systematic review and, where appropriate, elimination or tightening of tax exemptions.
"The solution before you today, known as senate bill 1, is better," O'Lovitz said as he framed the issue as one of "substantial importance" and, in parts of the state, an "emergency." He asked lawmakers to adopt a process that would prioritize revenue from exemption review, then other state revenues, and make property-tax increases a last resort.
O'Lovitz said SB1 keeps the existing property-tax base used under last year's HB65 (commonly called "Robin Hood") but changes how additional aid is raised and targeted. Under the proposal, half of the new funds would be distributed by the established "foundation" equalization formula and the…
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