In Monday’s GOP gubernatorial debate, Johnson challenged Herbert to take the no-new-tax pledge, adding that Herbert and the Legislature have raised taxes some times in recent years – including the gasoline tax and the property tax for schools.
Herbert declined to take the pledge, saying a fiscally responsible governor and Legislature sometimes has to “rebalance” the tax load when things get out of whack.
Herbert said none other than Sen. Howard Stephenson, president of the Utah Taxpayers Association, a tax watchdog group, has endorsed several bills recently that raised some taxes as a rebalancing took effect – especially the power of local schools boards to spend money on buildings and other facilities.
“You don’t have our economic success as a state by raising taxes,” Herbert said in the Monday debate.
The Utah Foundation said in a recent report that Utah’s tax burden is the lowest in 20 years – and that is a good thing, said Herbert.
“It’s the easiest thing in the world” for a governor or legislator to raise taxes, said Johnson.
Government officials just see taxes as revenue, but it is taking citizens money from their pockets.
“I won’t raise taxes” as governor, said Johnson. Then pointed to Herbert, saying: “He’s gonna raise them.”
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