Government Spending

Helping criminal offenders find freedom

Written by: Peter Reichard

Somewhere in our state right now, an inmate is struggling with the slavery of substance abuse. He has fallen into a downward spiral of addiction and criminality, and has landed behind bars. Drug use and crime are often entangled. Some offenders with substance use disorders are arrested on drug possession charges; others may be arrested for crimes committed to fund an addiction. In short, many criminal offenders are people caught in the downward spiral of … Continued

Utah Thrives: Utah’s State Budget and Board Chair Elizabeth Hitch

Written by: Dan Bammes

The most important job for Utah’s state legislature as it prepares to go into its general session is to pass a balanced state budget. The governor provides legislators with a budget outline in December, and the day it was released, Utah Foundation hosted a breakfast with special guests Kristen Cox, the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, along with Phil Dean, the office’s Budget Director and Chief Economist. We’ll hear some … Continued

How the Utah Legislature fine tuned its 2018 income tax changes

Written by: Christopher Collard

The past twelve months have been a wild ride for income taxes. Utah’s last major income tax reform took place back in 2008. Since then the income tax has seen relatively few changes. However, that changed at the end of 2017 when Congress passed a bill modifying the federal income tax. Because Utah’s tax system is linked to the federal system (which makes it easier for you to figure out your state taxes), those federal … Continued

Utah Foundation wins top awards for policy research

Written by: Dan Bammes

The Governmental Research Association, the national organization for public policy research professionals, has recognized Utah Foundation’s work with two of its top awards. The selections were announced August 1st at GRA’s national conference in Detroit. The three-part Utah Health Cost Series was honored with the Most Distinguished Research award. Utah voters put health care at the top of their list of priorities during 2016’s Utah Priorities Project, with their concern focused mainly on the cost … Continued

Utah Thrives: Farming in Utah’s Urban Counties

Written by: Dan Bammes

For several generations now, the most profitable crop grown on farmland in Utah’s urban counties has been new houses. Farmland has been disappearing and with it the lifestyle that was once a big part of Utah’s culture. But through the years, farming has survived and adapted, sometimes taking advantage of that urban growth. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we’ll hear about the agricultural protection status that farmers in Wasatch Front communities are able to … Continued

Taking on the sales tax offers opportunities, brings challenges

Written by: Peter Reichard

George Washington once observed that “No taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant.” Like most states, Utah depends primarily on a three-legged stool of more or less unpleasant taxes: the property tax, the income tax and the sales tax. Property and income taxes seem to chafe the public most. Paying these taxes serves almost as a rite of passage into full participation in the economy and the burdens of … Continued

Utah Thrives – Income Tax Changes

Written by: Dan Bammes

It was called the Jones-Mascaro bill, after Democratic State Representative Pat Jones and Republican Representative Steve Mascaro. The idea was to limit the income tax break that large families were getting under Utah law. Over a dozen years, the legislature rejected the idea time after time. But now, thanks to the tax reform enacted by Congress and the response of the Utah legislature to those changes, a policy similar to Jones-Mascaro is in place – … Continued

Utah 2018 State Income Tax Calculator

Written by: Christopher Collard

Utah’s 2018 state income taxes will be impacted by the 2017 federal changes and 2018 state changes. Enter your information below to find out the impact of federal and state changes on your household in 2018. Household Information The calculator is preset to the median Utah household. Input your 2017 data to view a personalized projection. What is your filing status? Married filing jointlyHead of householdSingle or married filing seperately Standard or Itemized Deduction? Standard … Continued

Cutting state income taxes not a silver bullet for economic growth

Written by: Peter Reichard

It’s the first half of April. Income taxes are in the air. It’s the time when the procrastinators – about one-fourth of us, per the IRS – finally get around to filing income taxes. We’re also on the heels of a session in which the State Legislature trimmed Utah’s income tax rate from 5% to 4.95%, dropping our ranking nationally when it comes to state income taxes. Meanwhile, Utah Foundation’s new report, The Education Tax: … Continued

After 30 years of Truth in Taxation, how are property taxes looking?

Written by: Peter Reichard

When the subject of property taxes comes up, local officials are apt to bring up Utah’s Truth in Taxation law. As the name of the law implies, Utah’s Legislature created the law as a means of ensuring transparency to decision-making about taxes. But one practical effect of the law was to limit local governments’ ability to reap windfalls from increasing property values. And from the perspective of some local officials, the law has stunted revenue … Continued