January 28, 2020 (The Independent) - The legislation promised cuts in the income tax and additions to per-child dependent exemptions. Still, economic analysts said the bill would have a negative impact on residents and small businesses. Even though personal income has gone up, it hasn’t kept pace with housing costs. That’s why the Utah Foundation’s Community Quality of Life Index has experienced a significant drop.
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January 25, 2020 (Deseret News) - Utah now has the No. 1 economy in the nation and a job growth rate of 33.5% since the Great Recession, a percentage that leads the nation. The state’s unemployment rate went from 8% 10 years ago to 2.3% — a new record Herbert said could drop even more. “I think the economy is going to get even better,” he said. He also pointed to a Utah Foundation assessment that put the percentage of income … Continued
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January 23, 2020 (Utah Business) - Paramount to any business is the physical and mental health of its employees, and long periods of inversion can affect an employee’s wellbeing. In the 2016 Utah Foundation Utah Priorities Project, the report showed that nine out of 10 Utah voters surveyed deemed “health” as their top concern regarding air quality. Poor air is harmful to everyone’s health but especially for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory problems such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, or … Continued
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January 08, 2020 (UtahPolicy.com) - The number of vehicles powered by electricity has been growing steadily in Utah, but they’re still only 1.6% of new vehicles sold in the state. Eventually, they’ll have an impact on air quality, but that’s years away. A new research report from Utah Foundation shows there may be opportunities to have a bigger impact sooner by focusing on trucks and buses powered by electricity or other alternative fuels such as natural gas.
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December 22, 2019 (Deseret News) - So it goes with tax reform. The reforms made now end up being part of a longer process. And significant reform isn’t easy, nor it doesn’t always win friends. As Thomas Jefferson once put it, “Politics … holds up the torches of martyrdom to the reformers of error.” The particulars of the current tax reform were wide open for debate, with the necessity of a tax cut, the sales tax on food and education funding … Continued
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December 22, 2019 (Daily Herald) - Rent control, an idea long discouraged by the overwhelming majority of economists, found popularity once again after the states of Oregon, New York and California recently implemented their own version of the concept. Illinois is also considering rent control measures. This well-intended policy proposal is seductive. Rent control typically proposes a cap on the annual increase in rents to prevent price gouging in high-demand markets and requires stronger regulations on landlord-tenant relations. It also typically … Continued
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December 15, 2019 (Deseret News) - And it bears repeating that we’re not increasing tax revenues; we’re reducing them by $160 million by changing the way they’re collected. For example, those who will pay a sales tax on a rideshare will still be better off because their income taxes are now lower. And, in fact, according to the Utah Foundation, Utahns today enjoy the lowest overall tax burden they have seen in the past 25 years. Additionally, Utahns as a whole … Continued
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December 12, 2019 (KTVX) - “The bill proposed by the Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force changes how and where Utahns will pay taxes, but it does not increase their burden. In fact, 86 percent of Utahns will pay less taxes annually under the proposed bill than they do under the tax policies we have today. “According to the Utah Foundation, the tax burden for individuals and families is the lowest it has been in 25 years, thanks to healthy … Continued
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December 12, 2019 (KSL-TV) - The Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force was created by the Utah Legislature earlier this year to research and recommend tax changes. The resulting proposal, SB2001, is at the center of Thursday’s Special Session of the Utah Legislature. The bill will be debated and possibly receive a vote. The task force was created to address declining tax revenue. According to an October 2019 report from Utah Foundation, Utahns’ sales tax burden decreased 27% from 2007 … Continued
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December 11, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) - The bill proposed by the Tax Restructuring and Equalization Task Force changes how and where Utahns will pay taxes, but it does not increase their burden. In fact, 86 percent of Utahns will pay less taxes annually under the proposed bill than they do under the tax policies we have today. According to the Utah Foundation, the tax burden for individuals and families is the lowest it has been in 25 years, thanks to healthy … Continued
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December 02, 2019 (KNRS) - Rod Arquette Show Daily Rundown – Monday, December 2, 2019 5:05 pm: Peter Reichard, President of the Utah Foundation, joins Rod for a conversation about whether Utah can be a leader in clean-car technology to help improve air quality. Note: Conversation begins at 36:12 into the program
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November 30, 2019 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Along the Wasatch Front, there may be no quality of life concern more urgent than clean air. Utah Foundation’s own survey work finds again and again that air quality is a top concern of citizens. The single biggest culprit in our air quality woes is us — driving around in cars, trucks and heavy-duty vehicles that convert gasoline and diesel fuel into unhealthy ozone and particulate matter in our air. It follows that promoting alternative … Continued
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November 25, 2019 (Deseret News) - Northern Utah’s unique geography exacerbates the problem as high pressure weather systems trap cold, stagnant air in valleys. Little can be done to keep these inversions from forming, but much can be done to minimize the way the people trapped inside them contribute to pollution. Natural market forces aren’t likely to solve this problem any time soon, particularly as traditional gas remains inexpensive. The Utah Foundation’s suggestion of a mix of incentives and mandates for … Continued
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November 20, 2019 (Deseret News) - The Utah Foundation just published a report titled, “Driving toward a cleaner future.” Among its findings were that electric vehicles have a market share in Utah of only 1.6%. That’s still higher than the median for all states, but the market share is creeping upward at an agonizingly slow pace. The normal response to this would be a shrug. The marketplace should decide whether to shift to alternative fuels, right? With the United States now … Continued
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November 20, 2019 (Salt Lake Tribune) - This week, the Utah Foundation issued a report about steps the state could take to accelerate alternative fuel vehicles and, consequently, improve air quality. For example, it noted that Utah lawmakers recently let a $1,000 incentive for electric car purchases expire. These incentives work, and could have an even larger impact if the amounts were larger and could be applied at the time of sale. Perhaps the most important thing the state can do to … Continued
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November 19, 2019 (KSL Newsradio) - Auto emissions per person are on the rise, and Utah is a major offender. Those findings come from a New York Times report released last month that indicate auto emissions in both Ogden and Salt Lake City are up at least 80% since 1990. Many experts say the implementation of alternative-fuel vehicles is key to fighting the air quality problem, but it appears that Utahns are hesitant to take that step. In an analysis released … Continued
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November 18, 2019 (UtahPolicy.com) - Utah Foundation releases Driving Toward a Cleaner Future: Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Utah. The report examines the incentives and disincentives around electric cars, as well as the policy decisions around preparation for a wide proliferation of electric vehicles in the future. It also examines the incentives and requirements around public and private heavy-duty fleet vehicles. Key findings of the study include: Electric vehicles – or battery electric cars and plug-in hybrids – accounted for less than 2% … Continued
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October 31, 2019 (BuilderOnline.com) - For Garbett, building sustainable homes is about a lot more than solar panels, tankless water heaters, and HERS scores. “It’s about livability, about health,” he says. “All our homes have fresh-air systems because they’re so tight. We’ve had reports from buyers that they’ve been able to get rid of their inhalers when they’re in our homes.” Green building and healthy homes are slowly catching on in Utah, Garbett says, but his firm is still the … Continued
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October 30, 2019 (Daily Herald) - Another investment opportunity is prison inmate therapy. Each Utah prisoner costs about $30,000 a year. Texas has invested in treatment programs which have helped slow the explosive growth of its prison population and reducing recidivism. The Utah Foundation reports that investments in drug rehabilitation for offenders can yield significant savings to taxpayers in the long run. Furthermore, 40% of state prison inmates suffer from mental illness and could greatly benefit from medical interventions or psychological … Continued
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October 25, 2019 (Deseret News) - Autumn is not the season we usually associate with discussions of state tax policy. But with comprehensive tax reform failing to blossom last spring at the close of the general session, state legislators are working to bring reform to fruition before winter sets in. The push for reform comes at a time of prosperity for Utah but also a time when structural challenges are becoming increasingly apparent. As the Utah Foundation revealed in its 2018 … Continued
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October 24, 2019 (Deseret News) - A Utah Foundation study found that, on average, Utah teachers earn 27% less than full-time, college-educated employees in other professions. Many teachers are forced to work a second job. Many teachers will never make a wage that can support a family of five. At current salaries, teaching is a less attractive profession, and Utah faces a severe teacher shortage. Some 3,000 teachers leave the profession each year and one study found that as many as … Continued
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October 24, 2019 (Salt Lake Tribune) - The math simply doesn’t work. You could call it voodoo economics, but it would be an insult to witch doctors. Lawmakers are seeking that tax cut despite a Utah Foundation report earlier this month that showed taxpayers are paying a lower percentage of their earnings in taxes than they have at any time in the past quarter of a century. Then there’s the issue of HOW they want to blow up the existing tax structure. … Continued
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July 18, 2025 (Standard Examiner) - Over the past two months, the city council has heard from experts on a variety of housing-related items — from national and local trends, the city’s Community and Economic Development Department’s philosophy on housing and how other communities in the United States have addressed the affordable housing crisis. The council also received housing reports from the Ogden Civic Action Network and Utah Foundation, along with an overview of the Ogden Moderate Income Housing Report. Cameron … Continued
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October 18, 2019 (KCPW) - According to the State Tax Commission, taxes paid as a share of household income peaked in the mid 1980’s. The issue of tax sufficiency to handle future needs was evaluated in a recent report by The Utah Foundation. Weinstein says his organization has concerns about Utah’s low level of education funding. He says teacher retention, pre-school and after school programs are insufficient. He also points out that Utah falls below the national average for high … Continued
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October 10, 2019 (Deseret News) - Of all the truisms in politics, this one has held steady throughout my years of observation: No one notices when their tax burden falls. People don’t party in the streets or throw confetti from tall buildings when they get to keep more of their hard-earned money gradually, over a period of years. We typically don’t notice anything that happens gradually, except maybe weight gain and hair loss. And yet, according to a new report from … Continued
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