House Democrats: On tax reform, let's be clear on our values
Utah’s tax policy should reflect our values as Utahns. But House Democrats see where the current tax reform conversation is going and we have serious concerns.
We held seven of our own town halls this summer to hear Utahns’ thoughts on tax reform. Before we go further with any generational overhaul of our state’s tax code, let’s be clear about our shared values gleaned from conversations with constituents across the state.
First, avoid unfairly burdening families and retirees. When legislators talk about raising the tax on grocery food, they’re talking about adding another burden for many working Utahns. The $250 million to be gained from raising the grocery food sales tax rate from 3% to 4.85% will disproportionately saddle families who already spend higher percentages of their monthly income on food than wealthier households.
Supporters of this idea claim economically-challenged people already receive benefits like WIC or SNAP (food stamps). But 30% of all eligible individuals don’t participate in SNAP, and most SNAP households also spend their own money to buy food, meaning food insecurity will grow if we hike this tax. There is a reason 32 states don’t tax people at all for unprepared grocery store food. It runs counter to basic values of fairness.
Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2019/10/13/commentary-tax-reform/
(Salt Lake Tribune)
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