Comments about ‘Talk turns to restoring food sales tax’

Sales tax on food takes food out of poor children's mouths. There are other ways for the oligarchs to grind money out of the peasants for their grandiose social schemes.

NO!!!! find other ways

Contrary to popular beliefs that sales tax on food takes food out of childrens mounths is false. The poor and on welfare don't pay any sales tax on food, its all tax free. The only thing they get taxed on is pop and prepared foods and that is a legitimate tax. Food tax has very little impact on the poor and every one should pay it as it is for education of their children. Cutting sales tax is cutting education funds, and everyone should pay their fair share to educate their children. However, I would favor a no tax for the elderly and those on legitimate retirement incomes, and the single income housholds on unemployment income.

A very LARGE portion of the Health and Human Services budget goes to providing services to illegal aliens. Mr. Hillyard should consider restricting State funds and resources to U.S Citizens and State Residents before imposing a tax on food.

Please don't increase the food sales tax as it is hard to get enough food if the tax is any higher than 3%.

Thank you

My adult son is mentally disabled and on social security disability and SSI. Due to the social security's method of figuring out his monthly check, he is left with $91 in grocery money for all of next month and he is not allowed to get food money or food from family.

For the disabled or elderly, or people suffering financial setbacks, food tax would eat into their meager funds and they can't afford it!

Better a small tax on the many (eaters) than a large tax on the unpopular few (smokers).

Why aren't are great state representatives looking at THEIR pay and THEIR benefits? They have other jobs on the side as well ... oh and this makes sense. Cut pay of state employees so they can lose their homes and keep the economy in a mess. Why not use our rainy day funds? If this isn't a rainy day, what is????

To Food tax:
You are only partially correct. Those on welfare programs (food stamps, etc.) do not pay tax on food. That does not mean that POOR do not pay tax on food. They are many people in Utah (and nationally) which are working poor and find it difficult to pay for the necessities, but they choose to not burden the government. Those poor do have to pay tax on their food. Those poor children are affected.

To Southern Utah Resident: I believe you have hit the nail directly on the head. Our history books will one day show how our loose borders and lack of legal action caused half of our current financial woes. You'll find the other half came from greed and wanting to live above our means.

In my humble opinion I think we need to all individually become more involved in our local (and federal) government. If it truly becomes WE THE PEOPLE, then we can fix the problems, but as we keep it as "those lawmakers" things will never be truly fixed.

only give one meal at the jails and State prisons that would save a lot of money right there.If the prisoners want more food let the family take food to them that can be fix.or the family can pay 7 dollars a meal with out a drink and 2.50 more for a drink. This way the state save money and we don't have to pay or give up are pay.

Tax on food is an outrage. It most definitely hits the poorest and most vulnerable among us. Tax the h out of cigarettes and alcohol. That has a double benefit. Drunks and smokers may go to friendlier states, or unimaginable, of course, give up their addictions. Who says that the public wants all the services that the legislature is proposing. Another case of the cart before the horse. The horse is the engine that pulls the cart. It need hay.

This is not a rainy day. It's barely sprinkling. We can put the road projects on hold until we are in better shape.

We can stop giving services to people who are not citizens, except for emergency help.

When the food tax was removed I wrote every government official I could and expressed my concerns over the lack of tax monies to run our Great State. Each reply said they carefully reviewed it and it was more than feasible to omit them and still have a flowing tax base. Now look where we are.
It is ridiculous that we rely so heavily on the (Childless) SINGLE or RETIRED Citizens income and property taxes to pay for ALL the hungy mouths, all the education and all of the "assistance" that "any old" family recieves.
You use I PAY ???? NOT!
I FULLY support putting the food tax back in the system ... YOU use, YOU pay - period.

To add to Irritated's comment: How about the legislators also not take the money they automatically get to stay in a hotel (especially the ones that live near the capitol). They also should be required to take a day without pay. The legislators need to take some responsibility!

No sales tax on food! It's bad enough we have property tax on our homes and even if we've been careful, thrifty and paid off our mortgage could lose our home to property tax! Leave food alone! The working poor cannot afford to shoulder more of the burden. Let's look at programs and see which ones work, which ones don't. Cut those. If women choose to continue to have children they can't support (w/o a husband or partner contributing) then stop funding after two children. That'll give family responsibility a sense of urgency. How about stopping over-development which leads to infrastructure cost? Hmmm, still wanna make a big buck on grand-pa's old farm? Oh those pesky roads and schools that have to be built...tax the heck out of the profits on the land sale! There are ways to cut costs w/o taxing something as essential as food! Think people.

I grew up in MN and moved to UT in 2002 for the family values and less liberal politics. But they really seemed to get it right with the state budget and taxes.

Minnesota currently has a 6.5% state sales tax. Food (not including prepared food, some beverages such as soda pop, and other items such as candy) and clothing are exempt from the sales tax. Prescription drugs are also exempt. Municipalities may be allowed by the state legislature to institute local option taxes. Alcohol has a 9% sales tax statewide (6.5% sales tax, plus 2.5% gross receipts tax).

Bottom line: no food tax and no clothing tax. If sales taxes need to increase to make up the short fall... I'll go for that.

Before we repeal the cut in grocery taxes we need to revert to the former income tax code, at least for upper income individuals. Upper income individuals, those with the greatest ability to pay, have received a cut. The rest of us have seen an increase to offset the decrease in grocery taxes. In other words we were told we'd get a cut (groceries) but didn't. The wealthy received a cut. Its time to take it back.

DId anybody notice this that "There's a disconnect in the public in terms of the services they want and the fact that we have to have revenue to provide them". Just because the public wants something that doesn't mean we should have it. The general population of the US acts like a bunch of children when it comes to the government.

If I go to the store with $20 to buy $20 worth of food and my kid wants a $0.50 candy bar, I will say no to him for many reasons. First, just because he wants it doesn't me he gets it. Second, I don't have the money. Third, all that junk food isn't good. Fourth, his mom makes better treats than you typically can buy at the store.

Grow up america, take some responsibilities for yourself, the nanny state is not the answer.

To RedShirt:
Amen! Most of the problems come; however, from those who are deciding more than 200 years later what our founding fathers truly meant in the Constitution. That's a discussion for another day and another forum, but accountability needs to be the first thing we expect of government. Accountability to the citizens of the USA.

Missing from all this informed and civil discussion is the fact that - for now - Republican leaders are refusing to include in their budget-setting deliberations hundreds of millions of dollars in federal "stimulus" funds that the state will receive to cover the shortfalls in Medicaid, education, and transportation. The federal bill will be passed and signed by the President well before the Legislature adjourns. Why is it that the Governor and leadership pretend that they shouldn't plan for - as if they won't cash - the federal check when it arrives?

To "advocate | 6:47 p.m." do you plan how to spend your tax rebate before you even know if you are getting one, or how much you will even receive?

I would rather the government work with the money that they are somewhat certain will come in, rather than run out of money come September, and end up pillaging the rainy day fund.