Utah's lawmakers and Huntsman win high marks for jobs

Under a law passed this session, come Jan. 1, 2008, the food sales tax across the state will drop to 3 percent. Asked if that final tax should be removed now, 55 percent said yes. But 40 percent said no, the smaller food tax should remain. Five percent didn't have an opinion.

Huntsman has said that he wants all of the food sales tax removed by the time he leaves office after his second term ends in 2012 (that's assuming he'll win re-election next year, giving him more time to get that done).

Several House Republicans expressed concern during the lengthy tax system debate whether the new personal income tax system would treat Utah's upper-middle-income families as fairly as it does lower-income families. Those upper-income families were called the backbone of Utah's income tax system, paying most of the taxes collected.

At one point, a leading House Republican said he was afraid that upper-income group would be "taking it in the shorts" over proposed changes.

But even though some wealthy Utahns will be paying more under the 5 percent single-rate system, that concern is not reflected in Jones' poll findings.

Indeed, of those making more than $75,000 a year, 55 percent like the new system, while only 21 percent oppose it.

Lower income taxpayers are more uncertain about the new tax system. Jones found that only 30 percent of those making less than $25,000 a year like it, only 29 percent of those making $25,000 to $35,000 a year like it.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said last year that they hoped that any change in the Utah state personal income taxes would keep some kind of deduction or credit for charitable giving.

The new tax system includes in its credit formula charitable and home mortgage interest payments. And Jones found that 54 percent of those who said they are members of the LDS Church like the new 5 percent tax system, while 19 percent of LDS members don't like it.

---

E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com