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Legislative action that proposed this amendment: SJR3 1982 Budget Session

Disposition: This amendment took effect following voter ratification. You may read the resulting 1983 Utah Constitution here.

Amends article 13 section 2,3,4,5,7,12 and repeals article 6 section 23

6:23

[Repealed and transferred to Article 13, Section 12, subsection (2).]

13:1

The fiscal year shall begin on the first day of January, unless changed by the Legislature.

13:2

(1) All tangible property in the state, not exempt under the laws of the United States, or under this Constitution, shall be taxed at a uniform and equal rate in proportion to its value, to be ascertained as provide by law.

(2) The following are property tax exemptions:

(a) The property of the state, school districts, and public libraries;

(b) The properties of counties, cities, towns, special districts, and all other political subdivisions of the state, except that to the extent and in the manner provided by the Legislature the property of a county, city, town, special districts or other political subdivision of the state located outside of its geographic boundaries as defined by law may be subject to the ad valorem property tax;

(c) Property owned by a nonprofit entity which is used exclusively for religious, charitable or educational purposes; and

(d) Places of burial not held or used for private or corporate benefit.

(3) Tangible personal property present in Utah on January 1, m., which is held for sale or processing and which is shipped to final destination outside this state within twelve months may be deemed by law to have acquired no situs in Utah for purposes of ad valorem property taxation and may be exempted by law from such taxation, whether manufactured, processed or produced or otherwise originating within or without the state.

(4) Tangible personal property present in Utah on January 1, m., held for sale in the ordinary course of business and which constitutes the inventory of any retailer, or wholesaler or manufacturer or farmer, or livestock raiser may be deemed for purposes of ad valorem property taxation to be exempted.

(5) Water rights, ditches, canals, reservoirs, power plants, pumping plants, transmission lines, pipes and flumes owned and used by individuals or corporations for irrigating land within the state owned by such individuals or corporations, or the individual members thereof, shall be exempted from taxation to the extent that they shall be owned and used for such purposes.

(6) Power plants, power transmission lines and other property used for generating and delivering electrical power, a portion of which is used for furnishing power for pumping water for irrigation purposes on lands in the state of Utah, may be exempted from taxation to the extent that such property is used for such purposes. These exemptions shall accrue to the benefit of the users of water so pumped under such regulations as the Legislature may prescribe.

(7) The taxes of the poor may be remitted or abated at such times and in such manner as may be provided by law.

(8) The Legislature may provide by law for the exemption from taxation: of not to exceed 45% of the fair market value of residential property as defined by law; and all household furnishings, furniture, and equipment used exclusively by the owner thereof at his place of adobe in maintaining a home for himself and family.

(9) Property owned by disabled persons who served in any war in the military service of the United States or of the state of Utah and by the unmarried widows and minor orphans of such disables persons or of persons who while serving in the military service of the United States or the state of Utah were killed in action or died as a result of such service may be exempted as the Legislature may provide.

(10) Intangible property may be exempted from taxation as property or it may be taxed as property in such manner and to such extent as the Legislature may provide, but if taxed as property the income therefrom shall not also be taxed. Provided that if intangible property is taxed as property the rate thereof shall not exceed five mills on each dollar of valuation.

(11) The Legislature shall provide by law for an annual tax sufficient, with other sources of revenue, to defray the estimated ordinary expenses of the state for each fiscal year. For the purpose of paying the state debt, if any there be, the Legislature shall provide for levying a tax annually, sufficient to pay the annual interest and to pay the principal of such debt, within twenty years from the final passage of the law creating the debt.

13:3

(1) The Legislature shall provide by law a uniform and equal rate of assessment on all tangible property in the state, according to its value in money, except as otherwise provided in Section 2 of this Article. The Legislature shall prescribe by law such provisions as shall secure a just valuation for taxation of such property, so that every person and corporation shall pay a tax in proportion to the value of his, her, or its tangible property, provided that the Legislature may determine the manner and extent of taxing livestock.

(2) Land used for agricultural purposes may, as the Legislature prescribes, be assessed according to its value for agricultural use without regard to the value it may have for other purposes.

13:4

All metalliferous mines or mining claims, both placer and rock in place, shall be assessed as the Legislature shall provide; but the basis and multiple now used in determining the value of metalliferous mines for taxation purposes and the additional assessed value of $5.00 per acre thereof shall not be changed before January 1, 1945, nor thereafter until otherwise provided by law. All other mines or mining claims and other valuable mineral deposits, including lands containing coal or hydrocarbons and all machinery used in mining and all property or surface improvements upon or appurtenant to mines or mining claims, and the value of any surface use made of mining claims, or mining property for other than mining purposes, shall be assessed as other tangible property.

13:5

The Legislature shall not impose taxes for the purpose of any county, city, town or other municipal corporation, but may, by law, best in the corporate authorities thereof, respectively, the power to assess and collect taxes for all purposes of such corporation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Constitution, political subdivisions may share their tax and other revenues with other political subdivisions as provided by statue.

13:6

An accurate statement of the receipts and expenditures of the public moneys, shall be published annually in such manner as the Legislature may provide.

13:7

The rate of taxation on tangible property shall not exceed on each dollar of valuation, two and four-tenths mills for general State purposes, and such additional levy as the Legislature may provide for the State's share of the support of a portion of the public school system as defined in Article X, Section 2 of this Constitution, such portion consisting only of kindergarten schools, common schools and high schools.

The Legislature shall determine by law the method of allocation of the State's contribution to the various school districts.

13:8

The making of profit out of public moneys or using the same for any purpose not authorized by law, by any public officer, shall be deemed a felony, and shall be punished as provided by law, but part of such punishment shall be disqualification to hold public office.

13:9

No appropriation shall be made, or any expenditure, authorized by the Legislature, whereby the expenditure of the State, during any fiscal year, shall exceed the total tax then provided by law, and applicable for such appropriation or expenditure, unless the Legislature making such appropriation, shall provide for levying a sufficient tax, not exceeding the rates allowed in section seven of this article, to pay such appropriation or expenditure within such fiscal year. This provision shall not apply to appropriations or expenditures to suppress insurrections, defend the State, or assist in defending the United States in time of war.

13:10

All corporations or persons in this State, or doing business herein, shall be subject to taxation for State, County, School, Municipal or other purposes, on the real and personal property owned or used by them within the Territorial limits of the authority levying the tax.

13:11

There shall be a State Tax Commission consisting of four members, not more than two of whom shall belong to the same political party. The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with the consent of the Senate, for such terms of office as may be provided by law. The State Tax Commission shall administer and supervise the tax laws of the State. It shall assess mines and public utilities and adjust and equalize the valuation and assessment of property among the several counties. It shall have such other powers of original assessment as the Legislature may provide. Under such regulations in such cases and within such limitations as the Legislature may prescribe, it shall review proposed bond issues, revise the tax levies of local governmental units, and equalize the assessment and valuation of property within the counties. The duties imposed upon the State Board of Equalization by the Constitution and Laws of this State shall be performed by the State Tax Commission.

In each county of this State there shall be a County Board of Equalization consisting of the Board of County Commissioners of said county. The County Boards of Equalization shall adjust and equalize the valuation and assessment of the real and personal property within their respective counties, subject to such regulation and control by the State Tax Commission as may be prescribed by law. The State Tax Commission and the County Boards of Equalization shall each have such other powers as may be prescribed by the Legislature.

13:12

(1) Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prevent the Legislature from providing a stamp tax, or a tax based on income, occupation, licenses, franchises, or other tax provided by law. The Legislature may provide for deductions, exemptions, or offsets on any tax based upon income, occupation, licenses, franchises, or other tax as provided by law pursuant to this section.

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of this Constitution, the Legislature, in any law imposing income taxes, may define the amount on, in respect to, or by which the taxes are imposed or measures, by reference to any provision of the laws of the United States as the same may be or become effective at any time or from time to time and may prescribe exemptions or modifications to any such provision.

(3) All revenue received from taxes on income or from taxes on intangible property shall be allocated to the support of the public school system defined in Article X, Sec. 2 of this Constitution.

13:13

The proceeds from the imposition of any license tax, registration fee, driver education tax, or other charge related to the operation of any motor vehicle upon any public highway in this state, and the proceeds from the imposition of any excise tax on gasoline or other liquid motor fuel used for propelling such vehicles, except for statutory refunds and adjustments allowed thereunder and for costs of collection and administration, shall be used exclusively for highway purposes as follows:

(1) The construction, improvement, repair and maintenance of city streets, county roads, and state highways, including but not restricted to payment for property taken for or damaged by rights of way, and for administrative costs necessarily incurred for said purposes.

(2) The administration of a driver education program.

(3) The enforcement of state motor vehicle and traffic laws.

(4) Tourists and publicity expense in any single biennium not in excess of the lesser of the following: (a) .5 per cent of the total biennial revenues from motor fuel taxes, or (b) an amount equal to the 1959-1961 biennium.