Instead of a subscriber's bill just being reduced (and the sales tax applied to the original bill without the reduction), the tax break will come off of a state excise tax, which is added on later. So subscribers will see the full benefit of the tax cut, executives said.

Sen. Lyle Hillyard, R-Logan, was concerned that much of the tax break given to IPP would actually go to Californians.

Reed Searle, IPP general manager, said depending on the season, between 75 percent and 90 percent of the electricity generated in the huge coal-fired generators located outside of Delta is sold to six California cities. IPP is owned by a consortium of Utah cities, like Logan, Bountiful and Murray.

SB34 says that the $5.5 million in reduced taxes must be passed on to IPP and Utah Power ratepayers. And many of the IPP ratepayers are not, unfortunately, Utahns.

Searle said when SB34 was first proposed last summer, IPP and Utah Power really didn't care that much about it, but now that IPP is moving forward in building a third, huge generating plant near Delta, the bill is vital to putting that third unit's financing together.

Both senators and representatives are moving so quickly on various tax-cutting bills this Legislature that bills are being voted on in committees without the official "legislative fiscal notes" — statements on exactly how much the legislation costs — yet written.

Before the bills are passed by the whole Senate or House, those costs will be public. Wednesday, sponsors of the bills adopted by the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee gave educated guesses on the costs.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com