Thus it is sad that, right out of the box last week, members of the task force set themselves a goal of furthering the cause of small government and limited taxation. If they continue in that mode, they will be wasting their time at best, damaging the state they serve at worst.

Part of the reason Utah needs a Tax Reform Task Force is the widespread and justified belief that our current tax code is out of step not only with the needs of the state but also the structure of the economy that supports, and is supported by, state and local government.

That's why both the last governor, Olene Walker, and the current one, Jon Huntsman Jr., have proposed doing away with the corporate income tax. Both feel it is a relatively small fraction of state income that, in the age of globalization, discourages the arrival of news businesses and the expansion of old ones.

But Walker's tax plan, crafted in a close-to-the-vest manner and announced as she was on her way out the door, at least included a way to make up the $200 million a year the corporate tax now raises. That was to extend the state's sales tax to include service and other transactions currently exempt, such as professional services and medical care.

Huntsman has proposed no such budget-balancing option. Coming up with one is a job for the new task force.

So is figuring out if Utah's de facto flat income tax should be replaced with a deliberately flat rate, or a more progressive structure.

So is the question of whether the crazy quilt of local-option sales taxes, the kind that causes city councils to offer themselves up on the altar of big box stores, should be replaced by a level rate for the whole state.

So is figuring out if fuel taxes are enough to pay for highways, or if other funding is needed.

The knee-jerk talk of state tax cuts that reliably followed recent news of greater state budget surpluses, with little mention of the huge needs of our education and transportation systems, shows how much a modern and steady tax policy is needed - and how much the cause of limited government is already well-stated.