Most taxpayers will only see a negligible difference in the amount of tax they pay to the state, since what they lose in exemptions they will gain in the lowered rates, said Keith Prescott, who advised Huntsman and legislators in developing the plan. But taxpayers will notice a simpler tax system that actually saves many of them money.

According to numbers from the Office Legislative Research, after the lowered rate and lost exemption, a vast majority of state taxpayers will see their taxes move up or down only a couple of hundred dollars. The biggest increases would be for large families making over $125,000.

"Utah's income tax system is broken and random, and puts a very uneven burden on our taxpayers," Prescott said. "The goal of this bill is help our families in the long run. If we can lower our rate and stabilize our revenue, that will help."

Despite protests from tax credit defenders, senators applauded the bill in passing it out of the committee.

"This is elegantly simple," said Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper. "It will produce the kind of economic growth this state needs to bring the kind of viability our education system needs."

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