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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State legislators are considering a measure that would increase Utah's personal income tax by 1 percentage point, bringing in an estimated $584 million more in annual funding for teachers.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Jack Draxler of North Logan, said his proposal would raise the standard in the teaching profession and bolster the use of technology in the classroom. Lawmakers have been dancing around the issue of tax increases for schools for too long, Draxler said.
"To a large extent, we are frankly spinning our wheels when it comes to education funding in the state," he said, according to the Deseret News (http://bit.ly/11vCCz4). "This is the right time to make a bold move for the future of our children and grandchildren."
The proposal, dubbed the Public Education Increased Funding Program, would raise the income-tax rate from 5 percent to 6 percent. For the median single taxpayer, that would mean an extra $280 in income taxes each year. A home-owning family of four would see taxes rise by an estimated $575 per year.
Utah had an even higher income tax just a few years ago — the state's 7 percent rate was reduced to 5 percent in 2007 after years of revenue surpluses. But during the recession, the state was forced to reduce its budget by about $2 billion and cut funding to schools.
Under the plan, three-fourths of the money collected would go to performance-based raises for teachers, while the rest would provide technology training and instructional programs.
Jay Blain of the Utah Education Association said the measure should fund a base salary increase for teachers rather than bonuses based on performance. A base increase would attract teachers to come to Utah and stay, he said.
"I think it would be fallacious to say that teachers are out there waiting to be motivated by monetary rewards to increase their proficiency. I think the vast majority of teachers are already out there being effective," Blain said, according to the newspaper.
Billy Hesterman of the Utah Taxpayers Association said the tax increase is an ill-advised idea to help fund education.
"Raising (the tax rate) would only hurt Utah in economic growth," he said. "We appreciate the effort to look for ways to improve education, but this probably isn't the answer we're going to support."
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Information from: Deseret News, http://www.deseretnews.com
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