Government Spending

What’s Utah Doing Right?

Written by: Peter Reichard

Scanning the indicators for economically successful states, any objective observer would need to pause on Utah. As Utah Foundation recently outlined in part of the 2018 Economic Report to the Governor, the state stacks up very favorably in national and regional comparisons. Looking at 2013 through 2016, the most recent three-year period with complete data, Utah Foundation found that our state ranked second in the nation for GDP growth, with an eye-opening annual growth rate … Continued

Utah Thrives: Taxing Online Commerce

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah is one of several states working to find a way to tax the millions of dollars its residents spend buying things online. Of several different legal strategies, the approach being taken in South Dakota appears to be leading the way, at least until Congress chooses to act on the issue. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we hear from Utah State Senator Curt Bramble, Overstock.com executive Jonathan Johnson, Holladay City Council member Steve Gunn … Continued

Utah Thrives: Education Funding

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation published a report in November, 2016 looking closely at the evolution of funding for Utah’s public schools over the past 20 years. Getting By with Less: Two Decades of K-12 Education Revenue and Spending pointed out that changes in the state’s tax structure over time had resulted in a net funding shortfall of more than $1.2 billion annually in spite of recent allocations of funding meant to keep pace with enrollment growth and … Continued

Looking Back at Utah Foundation Research in 2016

Written by: Dan Bammes

Maybe there’s enough time in these final days of 2016 to catch our breath. We’re looking back at Utah Foundation’s research reports as well as the Utah Priorities Project. A monumental election season has concluded, with a challenging session of Utah’s legislature just ahead. Here’s our ranking of the top ten research findings of the past year, along with links to a report or research brief on each. 1 Only half of new education funds go … Continued

Utah Thrives — Haven Barlow Looks Back

Written by: Dan Bammes

Partisan politics – the seemingly irreconcilable conflicts between political leaders that seem to characterize all our public discourse – has been a significant concern for voters the last two times Utah Foundation has conducted the Utah Priorities Project. Voters placed it at Number 8 on the top ten list in 2012 and put it again in 8th place in 2016. Yet it wasn’t so long ago that cooperation between officeholders in Utah’s legislature and elsewhere … Continued

Utah Thrives — An Updated Look at Utah’s Tax Burden

Written by: Dan Bammes

Early in 2015, Utah Foundation issued a research report showing Utah’s tax burden had dropped to its lowest level in 20 years. That was based on 2012 data from the Census Bureau and other sources, the most current available at the time. When 2013 data was available, we posted an updated version on our blog. Then we asked some experts on Utah Foundation’s staff and outside the organization for their thoughts on where Utah’s tax … Continued

Utah’s 2013 Tax Burden

Written by: Christopher Collard

Explore the state and local tax burden of residents across the United States. Hover over markers for more information about levels, rankings and year-over-year changes of the tax burden. Click and drag to move around or zoom in on states on the eastern coast for a better view. Early 2015 you might have seen news coverage from several outlets on a Utah Foundation report which showed that in 2012, Utah had its lowest tax burden … Continued

Utah Thrives — Proposals for Full-Day Kindergarten

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Research Report Lessons from Our Neighbor: Learning from Colorado’s Educational Success pointed out much broader participation in full-day kindergarten in Colorado. In Utah, 13% of five-year olds attend full-day kindergarten. In Colorado, that number is 74%. Data from Colorado’s Department of Education show the boost kids get from participating in high-quality preschool and full-day kindergarten programs continues into high school. Here in Utah, there have been a number of steps toward implementing … Continued

2015 Top Ten – Transportation Funding & Traffic Safety

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees determined the issue of transportation funding was the top research finding of the year in our published reports. Highway safety is a related issue, and the question of using mobile phones while driving was ranked eighth among the top ten.   Transportation Funding   The Utah Foundation research report The Roads Less Traveled: Survey Analysis and Research Regarding Utah’s Local Roads included a survey of local government officials from … Continued

Utah Foundation’s Top Ten Research Findings from 2015

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Utah Foundation Board of Trustees sets the research agenda at the beginning of each year, and responds with guidance and adjustments as the year goes along. At the end of the year, board members also look back at the Foundation’s work and evaluate the relative impact our research reports have had on the community and policy makers. We recently asked them to evaluate our efforts in 2015, with members voting on the significance of … Continued