Latest news with #PeachDays
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wyoming state senator proposes eliminating property taxes
CHEYENNE, Wyoming () — It's been a busy week for the . They spent hours listening to dozens of testimonies from county assessors to homeowners alike; many addressed the confusion and issues surrounding existing property tax laws, including three newly implemented tax breaks. During one of the meetings, Sen. Bob Ide (R-Casper) proposed getting rid of property taxes altogether. 'It's not fair. It's the wrong system,' Sen. Ide said while discussing the hidden costs Americans pay for lawmakers' decisions in Washington D.C. However, that isn't the only system he said needs to see change. 'We've got caps, we've got refunds, we've got sunsets, we've got primary residences, we've got minimum eight months, we've got camas system, we've got business and personal property, we've got pollution control, we've got fire control exemptions,' stated Ide to highlight the complexities of the Wyoming property tax system. 'For the common person to understand what their property taxes are you'd have to hire teachers to bring them in there,' Ide added. Brigham City Peach Days vendors now free to sell beverages, Coca-Cola partnership is ended For Crook County Assessor Dan Thomas, confusion surrounding property taxes is all too common. He told ABC4 that one of the biggest things that needs to happen is the dissemination of information to property owners 'to understand the entire process and understand that they're not singled out, and how everybody else has the same valuation method.' Part of the confusion likely comes from the different types of tax breaks. Three of those are new this year. One of the new laws provides a tax break on single-family homes based on their fair market value of up to one million dollars. Another gives a tax break to people over 65 who've paid tax in Wyoming for at least 25 years. However, it expires in 2025. The third caps year-to-year residential property tax increases at . This is in conjunction with a law that went into effect last year capping property tax increases at four percent for residences. All three of the laws have additional requirements not listed in this article. During one of the committee meetings, Sen. Ide offered a solution. He proposed to draft a bill 'to eliminate, repeal, section 15' of the Wyoming Constitution in order to get rid of property taxes. 'It should be up to the legislature to look at a consumption tax, a sales tax,' He added. 'It's the only way we're going to muck out all of this layered minutia of property tax.' Meals on Wheels needs volunteers to help feed Davis County seniors Sen. Ide's proposal passed the committee. However, not all legislatures voted in favor. 'Consumption taxes are regressive,' stated Sen. Case Cale R-Lander. 'They hit poor people harder because they spend more of their income.' Cale suggested studying the effects of implementing a consumption tax before drafting a bill to amend the constitution. 'Property taxes have been a basis of local government taxation for well more than 100 years,' he added. 'They have their wrinkles, but we've done a pretty good job at implementing them.' Regardless of what direction lawmakers decide to go regarding property taxes, making any changes to the tax code is far from an easy task. 'When it comes to tax reformation there's always some question as to why or how we are going to end up with a fair and equitable system to keep taxation equal and equitable throughout the whole state,' explained Thomas. Thomas told ABC4 that those who are confused about their property taxes can reach out to their county assessor. He said the assessor can help explain and break down the tax laws that are already in place. Chrysler at 100: Plans for a bold comeback Wyoming state senator proposes eliminating property taxes More heavy rain, rumbles for southern & central Utah Thursday evening MAP: Boil water advisory issued for some WaterPro customers in Draper Dillon Jones enjoying ride to the NBA Finals Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Brigham City Peach Days vendor restricted from selling beverages
BRIGHAM CITY, Utah () — Brigham City's Peach Days draws a large crowd every year, but vendors are concerned about a new restriction on beverage sales. Previously, vendors could sell their own beverages, but this year they're being told that's not an option. In a statement to ABC4, the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce said that this decision was made to 'align with the terms outlined in its existing beverage contract.' The current contract with Swire Coca-Cola requires that other vendors not sell beverages at the event, though they have 'opted not to enforce these restrictions' in previous years. Just peachy: Northern Utah farmers prepare for incredible harvest after years of drought According to the chamber, this decision only affects four vendors out of 211. One of those vendors, Cory Anderson, said that this is not the first time they've had trouble with the Chamber of Commerce, and this decision will impact his business. Anderson is the manager and co-owner of Anderson's Art and Antiques in Brigham City. During Peach Days, they've sold 'lemon shakers' and kettle corn at the celebration. For several years, Anderson worked to be able to sell their lemonade — which they turned into lemon shakers due to restrictions — at the event, but they were often told 'no' due to noncompetes. Instead of selling at Peach Days, Anderson began selling beverages at the car show that was attached to but not part of Peach Days. When the car show became part of Peach Days, Anderson pushed to stay part of the vendors at the car show, even though it was now overseen by the chamber. In response, he said that they sandwiched his booth between two Coca-Cola trailers. Idle Isle Café up for sale, former employees speak out 'They've also always had no sales of drinks or even handout of any kind, and that included water. And that didn't make sense, because you're running an event with 70,000 people in the summertime… it's just kind of disaster waiting to strike,' Anderson said. 'But those were the rules, we were threatened that we would get kicked out if we didn't follow everything.' Not only was Anderson told he couldn't sell regular lemonade, they were also told not to sell or give out water, even in the event of an emergency. The chamber only allows EMS to give out water at Peach Days, and Anderson said it's roughly a mile from where he's located at the car show. 'If there were other competitors at Peach Days that sold the same things as us or they gave out water or anything, we'd really feel like there's not competition to us. We sell as many lemonades as we can possibly pump out… we do 800+ lemonade sales,' Anderson stated. This year, Anderson said the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce has completely disallowed the sale of beverages of any kind. Anderson said he struggles to understand why they would pull away profit for local businesses who depend on Peach Days. His father attended a board meeting to find out why this year was different, and Anderson said that Councilman Dave Jefferies heard their problems and said he would try to help them get back into the show. A little while later, he said that he couldn't help them anymore. 'It just doesn't even make any sense. We're not looking to make a big problem out of this, we've just asked so many times … and never get an answer that makes sense,' Anderson said. Community worried about poaching at a Brigham City park Anderson said that they have felt singled out by the Chamber of Commerce over the years, and this felt like a furthering of that. He hopes that the chamber will reverse this decision, and that all they really want is to sell their lemon shakers at the car show, and their exclusion will cost them $6,000 in revenue. The full statement from the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce is below: Earlier this year, in preparation for the upcoming Peach Days event, the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce made the decision to align with the terms outlined in its existing beverage contract. This contract contains provisions that limit which beverages may be sold during Peach Days. While the beverage vendor, Swire Coca-Cola, had previously opted not to enforce these restrictions, the Chamber ultimately chose to bring the event into full compliance of the contract. This decision affected a total of 4 vendors out of 211 vendors participating in Peach Days. The Chamber has been looking at potential new beverage contracts and is considering all possible options. Once a decision is made by the Box Elder Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, this decision will be announced. Box Elder Chamber of Commerce ABC4 has reached out to Swire Coca-Cola and City Councilman Dave Jeffries for more information. Trump calls for scrapping debt limit Judge blocks deportation of family of man charged in Boulder attack Brigham City Peach Days vendor restricted from selling beverages Senate GOP talks cutting Medicare 'waste, fraud' to offset cost of Trump tax bill Judge blocks deportation of Boulder suspect's family as DHS prepares removal Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
