Comments about ‘McIff urges boost in food tax’

TAXING FOOD IS UNCONSCIONABLE !!

The legislature does not support tax increases on tobacco, but they support a sales tax increase on food? That makes no sense.

I HATE THESE PEOPLE!
Give me a couple days alone up there and I will have your stupid budget trimmed and it won't be at the expense of your constituents, it will be you people on the hill and all the corrupt PAC's and lobbiest to whom you really answer to that feel the sting this time.

Sure, increase the tax on food. Taxes on food are regressive taxes that affect low-income earners the most. Is that really what we want to be doing in a recession? Making it harder for people to buy FOOD?

McIff sounds like the classic bureaucrat. Rather than cutting spending he wants to raise taxes on people. We don't have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem.

i think sales tax on food is crazy. what makes you think people want to pay extra on food bills. if people cant eat then they cant live how dumb are you guys up there. what more money to line goverment pockets because they dont make enough money around here. they shouldnt raise anything and they should thighten there bughet up.

When people are trying to save a dime by picking the store brand over the name brand it just seems immoral that Mciff thinks this is OK. He points out that sales didn't change when the tax was higher or lower...dhhhh people should be eating the same number of calories every day!!!!!

This is a good idea. We have been spoiled the last few years thinking Utah would have $400 million surpluses forever, and we could lower the tax rate on everything.

Reality hits. Surpluses stop. Big -- HUGE -- deficits start. Time to rethink what was done. In our current condition, reinstating the food tax, which everyone pays, is a good option. Remember, we are only talking less than two pennies per dollar.

If one wants a stable source of taxes than instead of proposing a tax on food, perhaps the state could propose a tax on children or at least people (the living ones at least). I'm assuming there might be one or two people who might voluntarily starve themselves to death, but it probably wouldn't be enough to cause too much problem in balancing the state budgetm a death tax would probably cover it.

Another tax hike from a state government who taxes EVERYTHING? Typical Republican, no foresight. Increase the income tax or charge a fee for the highways (tolls). Quit taxing food !

So, the Chamber of Commerce is lobbying to tax people for food? Did their entire board vote on this issue or just the banks and construction firms that want to get more state money for building roads?

I understand the reluctance to raise the food tax but I would suspect that alot of the people who oppose raising the food tax also oppose raising the minimum wage so people can actually buy food.

Its the SAME people who want to raise the food tax that also refuse to adjust the minimum wage to a realistic level

And when people are using food stamps as their only source of buying food, then what. No more raising taxes or creating fees - people are running out of jobs and money. Many people are already cutting back on their food so how can one say it is constant? How about the leigislative body stop spending money on new toys and furniture for themselves. How about them buying the own insurance and lunches.

I suspect the people opposed to raising the food tax are in favor of raising the minimum wage.

On the other side the Salt Lake Chamber would more likely be in favor of repressive taxes that hurt low income earners while at the same time pushing for tax breaks for upper income earners and opposing raising the minimum wage.

I thought that the Republicans were about lower taxes, and smaller government. Dag blast it, they
lied to me again. I'm thinking that maybe we are all being taken for a ride by both parties, and they are laughing their backsides off, watching us attack each other over issues that they create for their fun and games. Someone say it ain't so! :-)

This surprises me coming from Rep. McIff. He has been a staunch enabler of illegal immigration. A tax on food would be quite hard on them since sales tax is really the only tax that illegal aliens pay. Of course it would be a hard hit on the citizen underclass as well who have been forced to work at depressed wages caused by the illegal work force that is in competition for these unskilled jobs.

In my opinion, I doubt that Rep. McIff has thought this out yet. Then to, if the illegal aliens would leave the state, taxpayers could save between 100 million dollars and 300 million dollars that illegal aliens cost the state. If they were to leave, wages would increase for students and the working poor. They would then have to pay more in taxes, thus helping our state economy. So, McIff has very little credibility on this issue.

Rich people own expensive property, so lets cut property taxes, Poor people don't own property, but have to buy food to survive, so lets raise food taxes, Makes perfect sense to me.

When I moved here 3 years ago, I went to the grocery store and was in utter shock that there was still a state taxing food. Congrat's to Huntsman for taking an ethical stand against this regressive, albeit constant revenue, tax on the poor. I've got an idea! How about a water your rich-little-lawn tax. That way everyone who steals water from the desert can contribute to the state. How 'bout them apples???

That tax should be raised...and quit whining about the poor....the majority of their food, electricity, etc...already comes from the taxes on the wealthy.