House gives its OK to an eatery-tax board

The House approved a bill Wednesday that would create a special advisory board in Salt Lake County to review how restaurant tax revenue is distributed within the county.

The measure, SB64, passed the House on a 63-8 vote. The Senate approved it last week.

The bill was amended from an earlier form, which diverted about $15 million in restaurant tax revenues from Salt Lake County to individual cities within the county.

Now, instead of diverting all the restaurant-tax money away and giving it to the suburbs, the bill would force the county to create an advisory committee that would dole out the funds.

The measure will now go to the governor for his approval.