New housing legislation is being considered during the current session of the Utah Legislature. Teachers, vastly underpaid (click & scroll down) and under-appreciated, may get help in making a down payment on the purchase of a home. The proposed 1.5 million dollar program would provide loans of up to $15,000 for the purchase of a home. If the teacher teaches 5 consecutive years in the state, $5,000 of the loan is forgiven. This is part of an effort to keep quality teachers in the state.
Property tax relief income limits may be raised, aiding already burdened homeowners. Is the property tax burden high due to the large family sizes? Larger household size means that there are fewer households to share the tax burden, so each household has to pay more. Lower property tax bills mean more funds can be used for other household expenses.
Here's the bill mentioned earlier that would assist mobile home owners with relocation expenses. It would pay for all or part of the expenses using tax revenues. I wonder how many mobile home owners there are in the state. Part of the argument against this bill is the potential of it to spreading. If mobile home owners receive financial assistance for forced relocation, can displaced apartment renters make a similar request for help?
The teacher initiative is interesting. We certainly need more quality education. It seems straightforward enough, and the quantity is enough to make it a significant factor in decision making.
ReplyDeleteAs for the property taxes, who is to say? I would be interested in seeing what kind of numbers they project this would result in.