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It's good to learn Utah state government is already running a hefty tax surplus this current fiscal year of about $150 million.
Regrettably, that's information someone in state government doesn't want the public have. You see, for two decades and more the State Tax Commission provided monthly updates on the state's revenue surplus . . . or deficit. Then a couple of months back, the surplus/deficit figure stopped being given out.
Word was several unnamed legislators didn't like it. In their minds, it was something the public didn't need to know. Keeping citizens in the dark apparently is their approach to doing the people's business.
Credit the Deseret Morning News for digging out the surplus information. The paper turned to the Tax Commission's recently retired Chief Economist to help out. He simply ran figures that are made public each month through the same computer program he'd used for years while with the Tax Commission to determine the size of the surplus.
$150 million!
His figure is unofficial, but it's likely as accurate as any he provided during his long career with the Tax Commission.
In KSL's view, it is information Utahns deserve to be given each month, and if certain lawmakers are going to continue their silly secrecy games, we hope our journalism colleagues will just keep digging out the "forbidden" numbers.
