Utah Legislature: Politics come into play with Demos' tax-hike bill

SALT LAKE CITY — It must be an election year.

There was a small blowup Thursday when conservative GOP members of the House Rules Committee voted to send HB90, a Democratic-sponsored increase in the state income tax for richer Utahns, to the House floor for immediate debate, bypassing public hearings.

That angered Democrats, some who say it was a political trick aimed at trying to paint them as a tax-hiking party.

House Speaker Dave Clark, R-Santa Clara, and Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Salt Lake, said it was a misunderstanding.

But the political knives were out just the same.

Clark said he believed he had an agreement for the move, and it was meant not to embarrass anyone but an attempt to see if there really was support from most House members to raise a general tax this year, especially a tax that would directly benefit public education.

Litvack had to make a motion on the House floor to send the bill to a public hearing. And that led Rep. Greg Hughes, R-Draper, to ask why anyone wouldn't want their bill to go to immediate debate.

"We all hold the legislative process near and dear to our hearts. A Democratic or Republican bill should not subvert process. This deserves a public hearing in a standing committee."

All 75 House members are up for election this year. And Democrats have already been complaining that the majority Republicans are cutting too deeply and broadly from state programs — harming popular programs like public schools — in trying to close a $700 million budget shortfall next fiscal year, which starts July 1.

HB90, by Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake, would raise $100 million for schools by increasing the current 5 percent flat-rate state income tax to 6 percent for anyone making more than $250,000 a year and 7 percent for anyone making more than $750,000 a year.

"Let's see where the votes are" for a general tax hike, Clark said in an interview.

GOP leaders say there may be support among some Republicans for a targeted tax hike this session — like raising the tax on tobacco products — but not a general tax hike.