Utah voters approve military tax exemptions

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah voters have approved a constitutional amendment that exempts members of the military from property taxes if they served on active duty out of state at least 200 days in a year.

The amendment allows local governments to exempt servicemen and women from property taxes if they have served out of state. They could claim the exemption for their primary residence the year after service was completed.

Local governments could then raise the tax rate on all other property taxpayers over a period of five years to recoup that lost revenue. Under that scenario, the owner of a $250,000 home would pay about $1 more per year in property tax for five years.

State analysts estimated that tax revenue would decline by $2 million in 2014 if the amendment passed.