Comments about ‘Tax hikes? Governor Herbert says nay; business leaders say yay’

Education, k-12 and higher ed, they are!!!

If you think you can cut a billion dollars from the state budget and not seriously damage essential public functions, you're kidding yourself.

Raise taxes and you are out of there. Just like the private sector it is time to reduce the size and cost of government.

I agree with Herbert, if his intentions are genuine. The government takes too much money as it is. If they can't stop burning our money, then they should stop taking it... I had a street sign near my house that had been changed 6 times in 6 years. Each time, they either added or took off a "t" in the name. Each time there were three workers and a truck there for a whole day.

Why would any business want an increase in taxes? It boggles the mind.

Either they are the ones who will be taxed, or else their customers will be, or both. Either way they will lose bigtime. I suppose it must be businesses that depend on government (taxpayer) subsidies. Such are out of the free market system and are deleterious to freedom and prosperity.

If you don't raise taxes you are out of here.

You can't cut another $1,000,000,000 from public education. They are already bleeding from all of the cuts this year.

Time to step up and pay for what we want for our kids.

Well Utah it would be nice if you could have your cake and eat it too, but you can't. If you think education is expensive try ignorance.

Of course some businesses want the taxpayer to continue to subsidize higher education. If you need educated workers so bad then educate them yourself.It's called a business expense.

Of course many of the businesses want taxes raised because their business depends on it. These are not just the businesses that feed at the public trough, but merchants and many others whose income comes through secondary spending of those that receive taxpayer money. For example if welfare benefits are reduced merchants will have less income. Businesses don't really pay taxes, they pass these taxes on to the customers. Individuals pay taxes!!

Why is it always education and public safety which gets threatened. How about a bunch of state workers in the upper and upper middle ranks! Many of us have not had raises for several years and have had to take cuts in pay in some cases. It is time for an across the board; 10% or more; cut in pay for state workers. This should exclude teachers and public safety officers but would include the taxing agency accountnts, auditors, professors, researchers and legislators.

I'm glad I live in a state where businesses believe in robust government that has enough money for our needs. In other states, chambers of commerce want smaller, efficient government.

When my family suffers an economic downturn, we cannot avoid damaging essential family functions as we adjust our budget. Likewise, Utah should not expect to avoid some damage to "essential" public functions.

We should roll back cos of living increases state employees received in the past year or two.

We should sharply reduce the "charity" work the state does at taxpayer expense. That means big cuts in the department of health and human services.

Public education can bear a cut in administration. With fewer administrators schools will have to re-empower teachers.

Public education could also save considerable cost if private school vouchers were authorized for less than the current per pupil cost of public education.

Its time to step up and model the fiscally responsible behavior we want our children to learn, not the free taxing and free spending behavior we don't want.

Webb says, "Why are they leading the charge?"

It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Business doesn't pay the taxes. Customers pay them.