Legislators voiced support Tuesday for waiving property taxes on the homes of military members while they are deployed to combat zones, but said legislation aiming to do that needs more work.

Sen. Luz Robles, D-Salt Lake City, is pushing both a constitutional amendment, SJR8, and an implementing bill, SB116, that both would need to pass to allow that tax break.

But members of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee said the way the legislation is now written, it could give soldiers permanent tax breaks instead of temporary ones. They said it could also allow tax breaks on business property owned by soldiers, and not just their homes.

Robles said she does not intend to allow either, so she held the bill to allow some rewriting.

But Committee Chairman Curtis Bramble, R-Provo, offered encouragement. “I think it’s long overdue and I intend to vote for it,” once it is rewritten. “I think you will sense a lot of support for it here. But it’s a constitutional amendment, so it has to be done right.”

Robles said the state figures the temporary property tax breaks for soldiers in combat zones would raise property taxes on other residents by an average of 16 cents per home.