In "Godot won't fix Utah education" (Opinion, April 8), Arthur Nelson knows a lot more about Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" than he does about Utah's mineral severance tax.

Nelson erroneously claims that Utah has no mineral or petroleum severance tax. Utah has long had severance taxes on oil and gas and the production from base and precious metal mines. The petroleum and mining industries also pay other taxes and fees that no other Utah companies pay.

Utah's severance tax rates are in line with those of its neighboring states. No Utah severance tax is charged on coal, presumably because such a tax would be passed on to local consumers of electricity generated within the state.

One might expect a professor at the University of Utah to acquaint himself with the readily available facts before offering advice on how to fund education. Utah has not left "this money on the table."

Marc Eckels

Park City