While the food tax and business taxes were cut in the 2006 Legislature, House members balked at approving a flat-rate income tax on the last night of the session. While the $70 million for an income tax cut was put aside, no actual tax reduction was adopted.

With a record $351 million in surplus taxes coming June 30 at the end of the fiscal year, there's now talk of giving an income tax cut greater than the $70 million already approved.

The survey found that 33 percent of Utahns want the $70 million cut. Eighteen percent want a $122 million cut (the largest tax cut under one of the four options). Combine those who said they want some kind of a tax cut, and 51 percent approve of an income tax cut now, Jones found.

But 42 percent said not to cut income taxes at all, Jones found.

Another part of the overall tax plan Huntsman and GOP leaders are supporting deals with a sales tax hike in Salt Lake County to pay for extensions of the current TRAX light rail system and building 30 miles of a commuter rail system from The Gateway to the county's southern border with Utah County.

Already, the Salt Lake County Council has put on the November ballot, for voter consideration, a general obligation property tax bond of nearly $900 million for mass transit in the county. The council doesn't have the authority to let voters increase sales taxes. Only the Legislature can do that. And GOP leaders say if some tax is going to be raised for mass transit, they prefer it be the sales, not the property, tax.

So Jones asked Salt Lake County residents if they would favor or oppose raising their own sales taxes for mass transit.

A healthy 57 percent of county residents said they favor raising the sales tax for extending TRAX into several westside cities and/or building commuter rail in the county, the poll found.

Forty-one percent are against increasing the sales tax; only 3 percent didn't have an opinion. The statewide questions on income taxes have a margin of error of plus or minus 5.0 percent. The Salt Lake County sales tax question has a margin of error of plus or minus 7.6 percent.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com