Tax tobacco, not food, Utahns say

When it comes to increasing taxes, Utahns prefer paying more for cigarettes than for food, according to a new University of Utah survey. Residents are also willing to sacrifice some services in order to keep the state financially afloat.

Officials from the U. Center for Public Policy and Administration met with the state's key legislators to discuss this year's major issues as they attempt to cover significant budget shortfalls. Associate director Jennifer Robinson said the biggest areas of concern for constituents include tax increases and government services.

"The survey measured the pulse of Utahns this year," Robinson said. "It gives us a good picture of what Utahns worry about and what their priorities for government are during these difficult economic times."

Because of the current state of the economy, lawmakers are making cuts in many areas and Megan Crowley of the U. center said they were looking for what Utahns think should be done. The university's research revealed residents prefer funding be slashed in state parks and recreation areas, rather than education or health care and many other services. More than half say they are not at all willing to have public education cut.

The 2009 State of the State Survey released Tuesday shows that 28 percent of respondents are very willing to have services cut and see it as a necessary step to meeting the current economic needs. Sixty-three percent are somewhere in the middle, while 6 percent are not at all willing to have statewide services cut.

Only 8 percent of the more than 1,000 Utahns surveyed by Dan Jones & Associates said they would tolerate a tax increase. Thirty percent don't want a tax increase at all, while 60 percent are somewhere in between.

As far as taxes go, the survey results indicate a difference in willingness to increase certain taxes, including gas tax, cigarette tax, sales tax on food, income tax, property tax, user fees and toll roads. Respondents were most unwilling to increase the tax on food, according to the survey, but were most willing to see tax go up on cigarette purchases. Robinson said 77 percent would tolerate the increase, while 11 percent were not at all in favor of it.

Few were also willing to see increases on property tax, gasoline tax, or support bonding for public transportation projects, she said.

Many of those surveyed receive health insurance through an employer, and of the 860 who had insurance coverage, 33 percent were very concerned about losing it. Sixty-eight percent worry about the rising cost coverage and many of them saw the benefit as a major priority of their jobs.

The entire report, which Robinson said "provides a clear picture of the priorities of Utahns," is available online at cppa.utah.edu.

Although this is the first year such a survey has been conducted, the center plans to conduct similar research in the future.

E-MAIL: wleonard@desnews.com