Comments about ‘Tax increases looming for Utahns’

The sales tax on food could be restored. It was removed in the greatest of tax revenue times. Now that it is the worst of revenue times, let's look at partial or full restoration.

tax on tabaco. could help a lot,

The Utah Republican legislators are just as liberal as the Democrats. Tax increases are irresponsible, considering the fact that we have these shortfall and deficits because of the government to begin with. Socialism fails.

Gary Herbert is a liberal - plain and simple, just like the govenor before him. Look at their record! Jon Hunstman endorsed John McCain in the 2008 GOP Presidential Primary, while Gary Herbert endorsed Mitt Romney. The clear conservative choice was Mike Huckabee. Why did Herbert endorse Mitt Romney? Because Mitt Romney raised the capital gains tax in Massachussets, while hiking state processing fees. Mitt Romney is a liberal. Gary Herbert is a liberal. I have no sympathy for either.

Remember when the GOP in Utah was actually conservative?

But, if you want to really make money, charge an extra 10 cents on all items, at every restaurant with a drive through. The monies collected would meet the tax short fall, in FY09 1st qtr. one companies' profit was $794B,(you don't see that kind of money from tobacco);and, have enough left over, to cover the costs, for the health care of children. To cover the rest of the population, tax ice cream and chocolate, a lucrative tax for Utah.

before we can make any intelligent comment, we have to know what will necessitate the increase in spending next year over this year. And perhaps, we should put a hold on those new road construction projects and wait until the funds are there to proceed.Why empty the education surplus fund for something other than education? Why make another round of cuts if the spending could be held at present levels---unless there is less revenue going in this year than last. Or is there something I'm not understanding about the budget process? Please anyone out there--enlighten me. Thanks.

Yes. . . lets target one group of the population and make them suffer . . . okay, they're smokers, but haven't they already seem enough of a price increase as of late? I'm not for or against smokers but I don't see it as a completely fair thing to just keep raising their taxes. Yes, many would quit, or at least try. . . but doesnt that decrease the profitability of the tax?

Cut the full 700 million in spending. "We the people" are taxed to death! The revenue will be there in a few years once the economy gets going again. Trust us we can live without your generosity with our money.

I hate smoking but I think all the areas they look to tax (lawn care) effects mostly the lower-middle and poor working class.The Legislators are not heroes they are classless con-men.Utah taxes and fees are way to high already.They should and could cut state employees and budgets and saleries 8% across the board. My wage has suffered along with everyone elses who are not in goverment.It is time our state goverment takes a real hit and stop raising taxes to protect their salaries.

How many families do you want to destroy with higher taxes this year? Consider the costs, when so many of us are barely making it financially, in spite of multiple jobs, and in spite of working increased hours. Paying state taxes this year was painful and expensive, stretching into months of payments because we did not make enough money to save for the unexpected increase for this year.

Let's not increase any taxes, and just pare down our government services to fit our current budgets.

Huckabee increased taxes as Arkansas governor. You can view his comments to the Arkansas legislature in support of tax increases on youtube.

Utah may have had some bragging rights in use of tax funds and spending but they are losing face real fast by not cutting government services. The time has come for government to step down as a welfare government to do more as a government and keep the state and cities in a current budget operating mode. Every time the taxes get raised to keep the same old graft and profiteering off of government and taxes it loses more and consumers spend less.

If a government doesn't learn to live within its budget, cut services, and cut welfare, cut education spending then we all will lose everything they once had. A recession is not a sustainable tax and spend program. There has to be someone other than tax paying jobs to create and sustain an economy. The kind of planning to tax and spend is an economic disaster for government and business.

Now that's funny!

I am not pro tobacco at all, but this chicken that lays the golden egg is about sapped. As the taxes to so high, the amount of packs sold that has a tax stamp on them will diminish, and revenue won't go up.

We had a recent tax decrease on wealthy Utahn's, the flat income tax option. Why not get rid of this before raising taxes on all Utahn's?

@Blaze, I think the shortfall is based on less revenue. More people are out of work. People aren't spending as much. Companies are making less money. So less taxes are being paid. Also, as the article stated, $400M of this year's budget came from Federal Stimulus money. Next year we may or may not have that money.

@Anon, Until the cigarette tax covers the increased public costs (health care, etc) due to smoking, I don't think smokers are being unfairly targeted.

If there's a surplus in education, by all means use it for education. I support an increased tobacco tax, an increased sales tax on food, and especially fast food, as pointed out above, but don't take away money earmarked for education and use it to cover overspending in other areas. Our state's future relies on the quality of education, and the schools (including higher education) are woefully underfunded.

That said, rumor has it that the superintendant of Jordan School District earns $220,000 a year. (More than the governor?) THAT you can cut.

Have you ever been to Florida? The hotel-motel tax in Florida, Hawaii, etc. is unbelievable and Utah should increase the taxes that won't hurt the population of Utah. I am talking a small increase in the hotel tax and restaurant industry that wouldn't hurt the unemployed families struggling to make ends meet living in Utah!

Nearly every day, whether on the Federal level or the State level, we hear of getting hit with yet another tax. It's like all these people have to do is to sit back and figure out another way to steal more of our hard earned income. And then, to add insult to injury, they now want to tax our income tax return preparation fees? Seeing the amount of tax we pay each year and filing our returns is painful enough. Adding a sales tax to the fees we pay is adding insult to injury. It's like our legislators want to remind us that they can pretty much do as they please. The voice of the people (especially at the voting booth) needs to be spoken much louder! I say, no more taxes of any sort until our state government can demonstrate their willingness to tighten the belt! The State of Utah is overweight and needs to go on a crash diet!

When other states raise wages or benefits for employees, neighboring states use the new "benchmark" to raise their employee salaries or benefits. Same thing with tax hikes. We should all deplore tax hikes, even on cigarettes. Rather than "raise revenue" - read hike taxes, Utah and other states should be controlling costs by freezing or rolling back wages/benefits or deferring key items such as capital projects. Instead, all we get are tax hikes - right in the middle of a recession.

We have let the public sector get so large that it is now largely responsible for voting itself an even greater percentage of the economic pie in good times and bad. This alone is reason to push for smaller government.

How could there possibly be a surplus in any education fund?

We are cutting education services left and right, cutting teachers, my kids now have 35 - 40 kids in their classes, and there is a surplus?

Someone needs to get a clue...

That is just criminal.

We are only talking about raising taxes, when we should be thinking about spending less!