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Richard Piatt ReportingGovernor Huntsman is expected to propose tax cuts when he announces his budget tomorrow. The cuts could come in a variety of forms, but would include a phase-out of the sales tax on food.
No one from the Governor's office is confirming exact numbers right now, but the overall tax relief could be as high as 60-million dollars, according to sources quoted in today's Deseret Morning news.
Governor Huntsman will also address future needs in both education and in transportation in this budget--both big money items. But a good economy has also opened the door to various tax reform proposals, and we expect that will take center stage when he talks specifics tomorrow.
Tax relief is an obscure concept to busy people like Connie Brown and her family. All she knows is that if the Governor is talking about eliminating or reducing the sales tax on food, she's all for it.
Connie Brown: "Sometimes when we're at the store we're ringing it up and it gets to the end and we have to take some things out. And if we didn't have the tax, we'd be able to keep some of those things on."
Karen Crompton, Voices for Utah Children: "The tax on food is obviously regressive and we would like to see it go away. We would also like to see what replaces it in terms of revenue."
That's the question a lot of people have, including many Legislators. Leadership in both the House and the Senate will get a preview of the Governor's budget plan tomorrow. But already, we know the battle is going to be over money: How big a tax cut? Who are the winners and losers? And will lawmakers go for the first budget in state history more than 9-billion dollars?
It's all right around the corner.
