Priority 4. State Taxes & Government Spending
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State taxes and government spending has inhabited one of the top ten spots for Utah voter concerns in every Utah Priorities Project, often a top five spot. Taxes represent the principal form of interaction between Utah voters and state and local government. Since the government controls taxes, it is no wonder this topic is a perennial concern.
Seven percent of respondents from the open-response survey mentioned either taxes or government spending as one of their top two concerns. Three-quarters of respondents mentioned taxes, most stating that they were too high. One commenter thought they were too low – especially for “polluting companies” – and several respondents recommended restructuring the tax burden in one way or another. The other quarter of respondents addressed government spending. Most commenters who explained themselves wanted tax revenue spent more efficiently, avoiding “dumb people causing us to [waste] money we could use for other things that the state needs” rather than reducing or increasing spending.
State Taxes and Government Spending Position in Utah Priorities
Briefs, Reports, and Blogs
Utah Foundation’s brief on state taxes and government spending
Also, feel free to glance through some of our older reports and blogs about state taxes and government spending.
View all State Taxes and Government Spending Reports
- Easing the Burden: Utah Tax Burden Taking Lowest Share of Income in 20 Years
- Fueling Our Future, 2013-2040: Policy Options to Address Utah’s Transportation Needs
- Utah Priorities 2012, Issue #5: Taxes & Government Spending
- Utah’s Education Funding Effort: State Faces Long-Term Challenges
- Making Sense of Utah’s Tax and Fee Burdens
- Spending Your Tax Dollars: An Update on State Spending Trends and the Impact of the Economic Recession
- Spending Your Tax Dollars: Two Decades of Utah Tax and Spending Trends
View all State Taxes and Government Spending Blogs
- Utah Thrives — An Updated Look at Utah’s Tax Burden
- Utah’s 2013 Tax Burden
- Legislature Looks at Property Taxes for Water Systems
- Tax Burden as a result of HB362 and SB97
- Public schools shoulder the burden of tax cuts
- Utah Aims Low on Revenue Projections
- Utah Financial Forecasting and Planning: Overcoming Volatility