When it comes to understanding the value of open government, one Utah public official really does get it. Almost immediately after the State Records Committee last week denied The Salt Lake Tribune's request for the names of companies that have been offered tax incentives to move here, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., stepped in and announced that from now on, all such offers will be disclosed immediately.

Score one for the people.

This breath of fresh air comes only weeks after state lawmakers came close to passing draconian limits on the information the public could obtain about its own governments. One state senator had even proposed a bill that would have made the results of restaurant inspections off limits in Utah, as if something as vital as public health was a matter best kept from the public.

The governor, on the other hand, showed he understands that government's business does not really belong to government. It is the people's business — just as tax money really is the people's money.

He also showed that he sees through all the baloney that nervous public officials toss around to keep what they do private. In this case, officials argued the state would be at a competitive disadvantage; that companies would decline to come here because they don't want people knowing what kinds of incentives they have been offered. Six companies currently have agreements with the state that keeps their names private until either a contract has been signed or the company agrees to go public.

By then, of course, taxpayers can only watch and learn what has happened to a portion of their tax dollars. True accountability demands that taxpayers know from the start what is being offered. And if such a policy gives Utah a competitive disadvantage (an argument for which no one seems able to offer any evidence) then the advantage certainly won't be lost to neighboring Colorado, which also has an openness policy.

Through the years, public officials have grudgingly given ground on a few matters of secrecy. Members of the Board of Regents used to argue that if they revealed the names of finalists for university presidents' positions, they would not attract the best candidates. But the board decided to open the process anyway, and no one today can credibly argue the state's higher education system is any worse as a result.

Transparency is a difficult concept to accept for the ones who are being scrutinized. But it should be a hallmark of free and accountable government, as the governor has reminded all.