Senate advances overhaul of vehicle property tax with registration-based fee

The Utah Senate moved a major change in how the state collects taxes on motor vehicles, advancing the first substitute of Senate Bill 50 to the third-reading calendar after a floor debate that highlighted both administrative savings and fiscal risk.

Senator Mantis, the bill sponsor, told colleagues the current ‘fee in lieu’ system has become "an untenable burden" on counties and dealers and argued the proposal would simplify administration and preserve statewide revenue. "If we are to kill this beast, we need to do it this year," he said, calling the bill "a concerted effort to solve a major problem that we have in the state of Utah." He described the plan as a registration-based fee structure, with new vehicles paying an upfront fee (a $140 example was discussed for new registrations) and…