Comments about ‘Utah lawmakers may face $850M budget shortfall’

The government needs to provide an environment where business grows. If business does not grow, government needs to get smaller. There should only be one tax, and that is a "point of sale" tax exempting food. The government should be last to get any revenue. Taxes collected in the first quarter will be the money used for the first quarter next year. Taxes collected in the second is the money used for the scond quarter the next year and so on. Budgets will be set by the money in the bank. Never in the red. You cannot spend it until you have it. If the economy slows down, the government has one year to tighten its belt. If the economy slows down, the government must not be doing a very good job of creating a healthy business environment. There would be ensentive for the government to do a good job or its out of money.

If Gary Herbet touches my taxes, we'll vote that liberal out of office.

Try it, Gary...

If the state government was serious about cutting costs they would be cutting off the illegals and all the secret funds they are stealing from the tax payers. We are tired of having this illegal chain choking us to death.

The only thing illegals provide to america is cheap labor that is used to put the american people in poverty and not able to get the same welfare aid the illegal are privvy to.

This deficit is of their own stupidity and treasonous acts to aid and abet illegal foreign nationals. Over a hundred thousand illegals plus their anchors in Utah are living comfortable and well off of a $15,000+ a year tax free subsidized living from government and tax payers.

Until this stops, I don't want to hear about shortfalls directly caused by illegal foreign nationals. When the illegals are gone then our representatives can come begging and complaining about tax shortages. Illegals are not citizens, have no rights, and the chain must now break or die a governments death.

It would be cheaper for Utah to erect some tent cites and put it in the care of ICE to deport illegals than to subsidize them.

I know this is alarming to all but lets remember who has the shortfall. Government does.

The answer cannot be taking more money from the people. We are also in a shortfall and America does not exist to fund the government class.

The Government can do what the rest of us do: They can trim their budgets. Under Huntsman government grew at Housing Market/Bubble rates of over 10% a year. Huntsman spent money on pretty much everything. Now that the market has burst, let the government budget burst as well.

Herbert, Clark and Waddups, you folks created this massive budget on the backs of a fake economic period. Don't expect us to bail you out. Cut your budget and don't you dare think of asking us to pay more to cover your mistake!

DEFICIT SPENDING is totally correct!!!

They need to go to a flat tax in america. This crippiling 40000 page tax code needs to go out the door where ever it came. If there was a flat tax there would be less tax fraud and less money spent on trying to regulate it. Thus there would be more tax revenue because less people would avoid paying taxes, and there would be less money trying to enforce and regulate it. Business would no longer need to spend money on trying to understand the tax code, and spend more money on growning and adding jobs to the economy. Its time we get rid of the abominating which is the 40,000 page tax code that even the head of the IRS cant understand.

Utah has a lot of 'legal' children who need a good education. This MUST be paid for. If they need to raise my taxes until things improve, I'm willing to sacrifice. There has been so much cut from out district. People losing jobs and pay decreases. As unfortunate as these are the real impact is that our class sizes are getting to be 'HUGE.' As a person who was unable to have children, I am really hit with taxes, but I will sacrifice for them. I won't be teaching much longer as I have a chronic illness, so telling me I'm just trying to get more money for myself is not true. I'm just worried about my students whom I love so much and the ones to come.

Tax the rich! Tax the Park City folks, Salt Lake East Bench and every snob hill in Utah. They have had too much "welfare" and probably pay less in taxes after deductions than those of us Po' folks getting by on less than $40,000 a year. And don't forget to cut the Welfare for corporations and the film industry. Remember folks - Warren Buffett pays less in taxes than his secretary. This has to change. I don't want to hear them whine about how they create jobs. Wages are flat, health costs insane, housing unaffordable. Don't forget that! Just leave the poorest of the poor alone and start making the big guys suffer more. Cut administrative costs state legislature and render the Peons monry off limits.

More of the same old thing. Politicians elected by all of these good ole boy republican citizens. Suffer boys suffer, you have been calling and voting in the expenditures now it's time to take the blame. Why not ask the "one" organization in this state that has bundles of money for a loan short term? Knock on their door for a few years and maybe just maybe they won't be so pro republican in the future. No worries short term though the church can solve your problem with the shortfall legislators! This comes under the heading of "bailout" and you people are good at that.

(Warning extreme sarcasm ahead. Please do not take me literally.) The solution as I see it is for us all to go buy a brand new car or two, brand new top-of-the-line computer, and also double up on your in-state travel and other spending. Let's do our part to get those tax coffers overflowing.

Simple, you increase our taxes, you will be out of a job at the next election and the tax increases will be reversed.

We'll just balance it on the backs of teachers.

Combine this shortfall with the $6.5 BILLION underfunded state pension plan and double dippers that will cost taxpayers another billion over the next decade and we have a real issue.

Reality check, we already have a very friendly business tax system and that is before they come in and negotiate sweetheart deals with local RDA's. We also have one of the lowest property tax rates in the country. We offset that by having the highest birthrate in the country. This creates a system where number of users of tax money (school children) and the number of tax payers is disproportionate. There are three possible solutions. First, those who create the burden on the system pay for the burden they created. Second we all pay a little more, because we believe that is the right thing to do. Third, continue to do what we have been doing by continuing to underfund the education system, until the system finally crumbles. Those of you who say throwing money at the system is not the answer are correct if the system where already appropriately minimally funded. If nothing is done this year, and schools are forced to take another big hit, it will be the children who suffer this time. You will see a huge increase in class sizes, and teacher layoffs. Mr Herbet can balance the budget, but at what cost.

A food tax is the only fair way of having large families pay their fair share of taxes for the overgrowing schools.

Since I moved to UT two years ago, two items in UT's tax regime have changed. On the income tax front, we now have the flat tax, and no more progressive tax that benefitted the less well-to-do. UT also cut the sales tax rate on unprepared food items.

Now all I hear about is increasing the food tax. I cry foul. Why is there no discussion about bringing back the alternative income tax regime? Why are we trying to stick it to the poor and not the rich alike?

it is time for another revenue stream---change tort law so that all punitive damages go to government---this will supply millions and all paid by business/insurance---

Glad to see that illegal/mass immigration is the key to uninterrupted prosperity and wealth, just like Governor Hunstman and the Deseret News always promised they were!

Recessions stink, but we should also spot the silver linging: they (hopefully) force us to consider the vast amounts of Stupid that works its way into government budgets during the boom times.

for even crossing the state line!