The Utah Legislature is developing a solution to tax issues that affect the state’s budget. The Legislature formed a Tax Task Force Subcommittee to study the issues, collect local input from potentially affected communities, and use that input to develop a tax reform solution to present back to state lawmakers for a decision.
The Legislature has chosen Moab as one of only eight locations throughout the state for a Tax Task Force Public Hearing. This will be an open forum to discuss state tax reform and other state tax policy issues directly with the Tax Task Force Subcommittee.
The Moab open house/public hearing will be held Saturday, July 20 at the Grand Center, 182 North 500 West. The open house begins at 1 p.m. and the public hearing begins at 2 p.m.
Community input is critical and the City of Moab encourages all local residents to attend. Feedback from Moab residents and businesses will help the Legislature develop solutions to the tax issues facing the State.
"The state Legislature is working towards a comprehensive tax reform solution to address some significant statewide tax issues. The Legislature formed a Tax Task Force subcommittee to study the issue and we are very fortunate that they are asking for our community's input on tax policy and tax reform,” said Moab City Finance Director Rachel Stenta. “We value the forward-thinking effort the state is putting into solving these issues and we look forward to working toward a solution that will minimize any ripple effects to our resort community's revenue sources."
Statewide tax reform decisions are important to Moab City and the community for a number of reasons, including:
● Because of the high tourist visitation to our town, Moab City is designated as a Resort Community by the state of Utah, which enables the City to collect a Resort Community Sales Tax.
● The City of Moab relies heavily on sales-based taxes for about 81 percent of its General Fund Revenue.
● Tax reform could cause "ripple effects" in Moab’s resort community by restructuring how the City receives operating funding, or by reducing sales-based tax revenue.
● The state is trying to minimize any “ripple effects” to local governments by gathering input at these regional public hearings.
Interested residents and business owners are strongly encouraged to this attend very important meeting to share their questions and ideas about State tax reform/tax policy. For more information about how the Legislature’s decision could affect Moab City and area residents visit moabcity.org/taxes or email finance@moabcity.org.