Rep. Merlynn Newbold, R-South Jordan, says she will run a bill — backed, she believes, by most of the Republicans on the Tax Reform Task Force — that would remove all of the state's portion of the tax.

She then would allow the local governments to slightly raise their current sales-tax rate, to keep them whole. And she would let the appropriate counties increase their sales-tax rates enough so they could then give grants to special districts to keep them, in turn, whole as well.

Early in the session we may see some arguments over legislative ethics, gift-accepting and so on.

As always, indignant lawmakers of both parties will rise to say how the media wrongly paints them with the "give-me-a-gift" brush.

Yet annually the lobbyist reports show around $150,000 is spent each year entertaining and shmoozing with legislators. And if all those guys who stand and say they really don't take much, maybe a meal here or there, the occasional Jazz ticket, and — hey — not one talked to me about legislation or spending at those times anyway — then how does it all add up to $150,000?

The majority Republicans will make a few changes to lobbyist or ethics rules, kill the Democrats' reform package, and move on to the really important items this session: tax reform and tax cuts.

Let's hope that the poor and middle class get a fair shake in the tax debate.

Let's hope that with $1 billion more the food tax can be removed — not lowered, not given an offset via an income-tax credit, but really taken off.

Let's hope money is set aside for road construction and water development.

Let's hope that public and higher education and Human Services and other vital state programs get healthy budget increases.

Let's hope that citizens come out of the 2006 Legislature feeling good about what was done, feeling good about their part-time lawmakers and full-time governor.

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Deseret Morning News political editor Bob Bernick Jr. may be reached by e-mail at bbjr@desnews.com