Tax changes over 20 years reduce funds for education

December 17, 2016 (Davis Clipper)

Public education in Utah has lost millions of dollars over the past 20 years due to changes in tax rates and structure, according to a report by the Utah Foundation, a non-partisan public policy research group.
So much has been lost, in fact, that it would take a $1.2 billion investment to bring it back to where it was in 1995, according to the report. 
To reach the national average in per-pupil spending, the foundation found the state would need to raise $2.9 billion.
Two changes in tax law were especially detrimental to education, according to Doug Macdonald, chairman of the Davis Alliance for Public Education.
The first occurred in 1996, when he said voters amended the Utah constitution to allow a portion of the state’s income tax revenue to be directed to higher education.
Previously, all income tax receipts were required to fund kindergarten through 12th grade education, he said, but with the change, the funds were split with higher education.

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