Some service members in Utah may be eligible again for a deduction on their military income, if a proposed bill makes it through the 2008 Legislature.

The offer of up to a $2,200 credit against qualifying military income expired at the end of the 2005 tax year. The credit was available for just one year.

Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, plans on drafting legislation that would not only revive the offer but also make it a permanent perk.

"This bill puts back into place a small monetary benefit for serving personnel as a thanks from this grateful state," Harper said.

The credit would be yearly and taken when a person files his or her income tax return. Harper said the credit will be applied to military income and not non-service-related pay.

It would most impact soldiers and airmen in the Utah National Guard, but members of any military branch with a unit in Utah also may qualify.

Harper said he didn't know how many people took the deduction for 2005 or what the fiscal impact might be if his bill passes. There are approximately 6,500 soldiers and airmen in the Utah Guard.

"In recognition of the sacrifices and service they give, Utah can and should provide a tax credit," he said.

Guard spokesman Maj. Hank McIntire, who has a large family, said he took advantage of the credit when it was offered for the 2005 tax year.

"Any time that you can provide some kind of tax break at the federal or state level for our citizens in uniform, it's much appreciated," McIntire said.

In recent years, the Utah Legislature has approved bills that have provided education and tuition benefits for members of military families. Those efforts, McIntire noted, bring Utah more in line with other states where, in some cases, Guard members are offered full tuition reimbursement at state schools.

At a more local level, McIntire's city utilities tab for his home was picked up by Orem while he was deployed overseas in 2004-05.

About 20 Utah cities have done the same and more for deployed military members — and several more cities have offered at least a monthly stipend to help families back home cover the cost of utility bills.

And it hasn't taken state lawmakers or city officials to prompt people's generosity in local restaurants, where bills for soldiers' meals have often been picked up by complete strangers since the Iraq and Afghanistan wars began.

"That happens a lot, still, even after six years we've been at this," McIntire said.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com