Services listed in 2019 SB 2001

•The following services would be included in the tax base:

Installation of tangible personal property when part of a taxable sale

Pet boarding, pet grooming,and pet daycare services

Personal transportation service▪ Includes all intrastate motor vehicle transportation services except for: •services provided by governmental entities •ambulance services •transportation that is part of a funeral service •low speed vehicles in a county of the first class ▪Includes: •peer to peer ridesharing (peer to peer carsharing is already subject to sales tax) •scenic and sightseeing transportation in a motor vehicle

Motor vehicle towing

Parking lots and garages

Dating referral services

Identity theft protection

Streaming media

Shipping and handling when part of a taxable sale

Electronic security monitoring of real property

Remove certain existing sales tax exemptions to make the sales tax a broader consumption tax

•The following exemptions would be repealed:

Electricity to ski resorts for lifts

Vehicles used for temporary sporting events

Admissions to college athletic events

Textbooks purchased by a student (not including a college bookstore; seller sales primarily textbooks)

Primarily unassisted cleaning of tangible personal property▪Unless payment is exclusively through machines that only accept cash or coin

Use of unassisted amusement device▪Unless payment is exclusively through machines that only accept cash or coin

Vending machine food sold for $1 or less under certain circumstances▪Unless payment is exclusively through machines that only accept cash or coin

Certain car washes▪Unless payment is exclusively through machines that only accept cash or coin

Sales to a public transit district (includes construction materials converted to real property)

Fuel sold to a common carrier railroad and used in a locomotive engine

Newspapers or newspaper subscriptions

Address list or database used to send direct mail

Database access for viewing or retrieving information

UT 2019 Tax Referendum response to the Sutherland Institute

There is no Tax Hike in what we are doing. Signing a Referendum doesn’t create a new law, or new tax, or new anything. It just puts the bill on hold until the voters decide it’s fate in the fall.

Major Problems with 2019 SB 2001:

First, if you raise the cost of vehicle fuel, by increasing the state fuel tax by 35%, a family driving around town has less money to go to the store to buy food. These added fuel costs will drive up the cost of goods at the register as well. 

Second, raising the cost of food by raising the sales tax on food by a 177% Utah tax increase, means the family has less money to buy food. The State paying this family back later, doesn’t help. Why should a family making it without the government be pushed into requiring help? 

Third, by reducing the amount of money going to public and secondary education by $680 Million, while promising public education will not be hurt, means they are either going to change the Utah Constitution or the legislature is going to make sure our property taxes go up, either directly such as 2015 SB 97   and 2018 HB 293 or indirectly by making the local school boards raise our property tax and those boards getting the blame.  

Fourth, the bill sets up changing the funding of roads by removing the constitutional required funding from transportation related taxes, including sales tax, and replacing it with highway user fees and a road usage charge program. 

Fifth, Adding to the increase of services with sales tax, which can drive service type businesses out of the state.

Not only is raising taxes on food wrong, raising fuel prices bad, taking money from education questionable, the whole idea of moving all sales tax money away from roads, as stated above is wrong.

So why do they think we are distorting what the new tax bill says? 

What are we saying? 

We are telling people to read the bill, from the legislature’s website, read the legislature’s own summary/explanation of the bill and the official fiscal note of the bill.  

For some light reading, don’t miss the $1/2 Billion Higher Education Funding Shell Game found in the bill, Starting at lines 6579. 

I really don’t want to see Part 2 and Part 3 of this Tax Reformation. Let’s Stop the madness Now!!  Sign the Referendum.

The Utah Taxpayers Association, have they read the Utah Constitution regarding 2019 SB 2001

The Utah Taxpayers Association is wondering if we have read the bill, 2019 SB 2001. 

I wonder if they have read the Utah Constitution. 

First, they are saying the income tax reduction (reducing the Education Fund) can start helping employees in January when the earliest anything in the bill can take effect is in February. 60 days from December 12, 2019. They didn't get the 2/3 vote of both houses. If they are telling businesses to start changing the income tax withholding rates prior to the 60 day effective date, they don't understand Utah Article VI, Section 25. (The Utah Tax Commission is waiting. They understand).

Article VI, Section 25.  [Publication of acts -- Effective dates of acts.]
 All acts shall be officially published, and no act shall take effect until sixty days after the adjournment of the session at which it passed, unless the Legislature by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, shall otherwise direct.

Second, the $600 Million sales taxes the Utah Taxpayers Association are complaining about going to roads is supposed to go to roads. Transportation related (sales) taxes are to go to roads by the same part of the constitution as the income tax is to go to education. 

Article XIII, Section 5.  [Use and amount of taxes and expenditures.]
(5) All revenue from taxes on intangible property or from a tax on income shall be used to support the systems of public education and higher education as defined in Article X, Section 2.
(6) Proceeds from fees, taxes, and other charges related to the operation of motor vehicles on public highways and proceeds from an excise tax on liquid motor fuel used to propel those motor vehicles shall be used for:

Ultimately they are missing the obvious

First, if you raise the cost of vehicle fuel, by increasing the state fuel tax by 35%, a family driving around town has less money to go to the store to buy food. These added fuel costs will drive up the cost of goods at the register as well. 

Second, raising the cost of food by raising the sales tax on food by a 177% Utah tax increase, means the family has less money to buy food. The State paying this family back later, doesn’t help. Why should a family making it without the government be pushed into requiring help? 

Third, by reducing the amount of money going to public and secondary education, while promising public education will not be hurt, means they are either going to change the Utah Constitution or the legislature is going to make sure our property taxes go up, either directly such as 2015 SB 97   and 2018 HB 293 or indirectly by making the local school boards raise our property tax and those boards getting the blame.  

Fourth, the bill sets up changing the funding of roads by removing the constitutional required funding from transportation related taxes, including sales tax, and replacing it with highway user fees and a road usage charge program. 

Fifth, Adding to the increase of services with sales tax, which can drive service type businesses out of the state.

Not only is raising taxes on food wrong, raising fuel prices bad, taking money from education questionable, the whole idea of moving all sales tax money away from roads, as stated above is wrong.

Tax Hike? As an Eagle Scout, I know something about Hiking. Perhaps the representative of the Utah Taxpayers Association needs to get out more. There is no Tax Hike in what we are doing. Signing a Referendum doesn't create a new law, or new tax, or new anything. It just puts the bill on hold until the voters decide it's fate in the fall.

So why do they think we are distorting what the new tax bill says? 

What are we saying? 

We are telling people to read the bill, from the legislature's website, read the legislature's own summary/explanation of the bill and the official fiscal note of the bill. For some light reading, don't miss the $1/2 Billion Higher Education Funding Shell Game found in the bill, Starting at lines 6579.

I really don't want to see Part 2 and Part 3 of this Tax Reformation. Let's Stop the madness Now!! 

Sign our Referendum:
 
See our website: http://ut2019taxreferendum.com/ 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  Wishing all a great day! 

I am grateful for family and friends, a country with the freedoms we still have, a state with amazing people and some of the prettiest places on the planet. Loving neighbors that look out for each other. A planet with air to breathe and water to drink and despite the weather - not too hot or cold to survive and wonderful people and places. A house that is warm and dry. Food to eat. The ability to swallow, walk, talk, hear, see, smell, touch and remember. A loving Heavenly Father that wants me back and has prepared a way to return. The knowledge I will see my loved ones again that have passed on. Opportunities to learn and grow.

Be safe and have fun!

Just vote no on Utah tax reform

Comment are based on 2020FL-0838/00911-22-19  DRAFT but the whole idea is wrong. Sales taxes are rising, just not as fast as the legislature wants. 

Vote no on the tax restructure. Not only is raising taxes on food wrong, raising fuel prices bad, taking money from education questionable, the whole idea of moving all sales tax money away from roads is wrong.  Transportation related sales tax is supposed to go to roads per the state constitution: art XIII sec 5, (6) Proceeds from fees, taxes, and other charges related to the operation of motor vehicles on public highways and proceeds from an excise tax on liquid motor fuel used to propel those motor vehicles shall be used for...

$250 M sales tax increase per year on food is wrong. All the new safeguards are bandaids which show up too late to help those hurt. 

With the additional $240 Million sales tax on fuel, If it goes to transportation as required  by the state constitution how does the #utleg justify reducing the 17% sales tax ( approx that which is transportation related) down to 15.2% and send the difference somewhere else. Lines 4117 if I remember correctly. 

Should we look at reducing income tax on social security, yes, but most of the current bill does harm. Yes I read through it. 

It closes with a dangerous move  Retro tax change in case it doesn't get 2/3. 

That is in clear violation of the state constitution. It takes away the right to repeal any law passed by less than 2/3. I believe there are another lines just as bad. Anyone  voting for this bill should be voted out.

Fred C Cox

West Valley City, UT 84120

Past comment

Raising sales tax on food is bad. Adding rebates or credits or reductions of other taxes only helps some of those hurt, and doesn't help them when they need it. 

Transportation related sales tax is to go to transportation per our state constitution. 

Raising taxes for services in many cases will cause those services to be moved out of state. 

The Legislature adjusting formulas to raise our property taxes for education and then deciding there is too much money going to education...

The legislature used to only build higher education buildings with one time education money when the budget allowed it. That changed and they can't figure out why the budget doesn't work to spend what they want anymore? 

Take away the board of regents raising tuition without legislative approval. 

I understand why the proposed tax changes make the spreadsheets work better for the legislature but they don't make the taxpayers spreadsheets work better. 

Just vote no.

Keep the Electoral College.

The US Constitution provided for a balance between small population states and large ones. This is one of the reasons for the Senate having 2 per state and the House being divided based on population.  


The current US Presidential Electoral System keeps part of that concept so that voters in California, New York, and a few others do not decide who is elected, ignoring the rest of the country. 

The original system was designed so that the electors nominated two candidates, one not from their state, and unless there was a candidate nominated by the majority of electors, the voting for president out of the top 5 nominees was done by the US House of Representatives, one vote per state. If two candidates received a majority of electors, the House would decide between just the two. Basically, the loser of the top two became the Vice President, who would take over if something happened to the President. The elector college system protected every state from being ignored.

By 1796 and 1800, partly due to political party influence, and because the public didn't want the US House to decide the election a movement to change happened and under the 12th amendment this was changed. One reason was to make sure the President and the Vice President could run together.

Under the current system, Utah having 6 votes instead of 4 gives us a slight edge over population. Utah has decided to have a winner take all system. If Utah were to split our vote, it would carry less weight in the national election.

While the current system doesn't work as originally intended, there is still some balance favoring smaller states, just barely enough to encourage candidates to campaign throughout most of the country. If the National Popular Vote Compact were to succeed, I believe that would be eliminated and I also believe the cities with the most population would be the locations where campaigning would occur, making the situation of ignoring parts of the country even worse.

Keep the Electoral College.

Why is Independence Day on the 4th of July vs the 2nd

Scott L Wyatt

July 3, 2016

Why do we celebrate the 4th of July when we actually declared independence on the 2nd? My answer defines the American idea and how we can best celebrate this Nation under God. It is what I would tell Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton if given the opportunity, and every other leader in America.

Richard Henry Lee, a delegate to the Continental Congress from Virginia, prepared a resolution proposing independence. He submitted his resolution on June 7th and it read, “Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”

Congress debated Lee’s resolution on Saturday, June 8th and again on the 10th. When it looked like declaring independence was probable they assigned a committee of five to write up a statement explaining the reasons for independence.

Lee’s resolution came back up for consideration on July 1st and was adopted on the 2nd. John Adams wrote home to his wife Abigail, "The Second of July, 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival." The Pennsylvania Evening Post announced the decision to the world in its paper that evening: “This day [July 2nd] the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States.”

On the afternoon of July 2nd, with independence decided, the delegates took up the statement we now know as the Declaration of Independence, prepared by the committee of five but mostly written by Thomas Jefferson. They debated it that afternoon, the next day, and then adopted it on July 4th. The statement did not have a name. It was simply titled, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”

The Declaration has 32 paragraphs and can be described in three groups. The middle section, consisting of 29 paragraphs, presents their grievances, the “train of abuses” to a “candid world.” It includes taxes without consent, quartering troops, cutting off trade, abolishing charters—it’s a long list. The final paragraph restates Lee’s resolution, the act already committed—“that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States . . . absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown.” Thomas Jefferson added a few memorable words to Lee’s resolves, including—“we pledge our lives, fortunes and sacred honor.”

The first group of words—the first two paragraphs of the Declaration—are the most interesting. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed . . .”

These words are commonplace today, but in 1776—self-evident? There was not a single country in the world were all men were considered equal. There was not a government based on consent of the governed. There was not a county in the world where the government’s stated purpose—was the promotion of Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness—of its people. There was not a group of people empowered with electing their head of state.

So, why do we celebrate the 4th of July rather than the 2nd? Remember Adams thought we were going to celebrate the 2nd.

I like to think the answer is because on the 2nd of July we said who we were NOT—subjects of King George who governed by "divine right." But on the 4th of July we said who we ARE—a nation of people aspiring to equality and liberty. On July 4, 1776 56 of our best and brightest men, away from their families and occupations, on a hot summer day, in a room on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, put to paper the revolutionary ideals that would lead us on a never ending journey toward equality and liberty.

Some countries celebrate the anniversary of military assaults or victories that lead to their independence. In America we celebrate the day of words. On what day did our revolutionary war begin? We don’t remember. On what day did the war end? On what day was the most important battle leading to victory? On what day did we actually declare independence? Most Americans don’t know. And that’s okay. John Adams said, “The Revolution was effected before the war commenced.” It was a change “in the minds and hearts of the people.” On the 4th of July we celebrate what was in their minds and hearts. On July 4, 1776 something greater happened than mere independence. Fifth-six of our best and brightest put words on paper and committed their Lives, Fortunes and Sacred Honor to independence and to those words—that all men are created equal—endowed by a creator with certain rights—rights that come from God not from kings, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the right to a government, as Lincoln will say, “of the people, by the people and for the people.” What a beautify way to celebrate an American Day—the day of our most beautiful words—words of our founding!

Abraham Lincoln said, “All honor to Jefferson—to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document, an abstract truth, applicable to all [people] and all times.” This is the most famous American document. These are our most important American words.

In this time of divisiveness, may I suggest the best way to celebrate America’s founding is to remember our original words—words of inclusion not divisiveness—and strive to make them so in the "land of the free and the home of the brave!"