Letter: Don’t add to the tax burden on the poor

The effort to modernize Utah’s tax system is meant to address a structural imbalance that exists between major sources of tax revenue in our state. However, I believe this proposal is the wrong way to address this issue. We should not fix this problem on the backs of a regressive tax on the poor.

I am a student at the University of Utah’s graduate school of social work. I work with women who battle addiction and lack basic needs. They face enormous challenges physically and financially. While it may seem like a small thing to increase the price of food by a few cents per dollar, this would have an extremely detrimental impact on lives. It could be the difference between life and death.

I am struck by the sheer magnitude of the battle these women are fighting to gain sobriety. They need people willing to help them, to support them.

We need to fight for at-risk and underserved populations by opposing the sales tax on food. We must work on finding another way to fix our state’s budget challenges.

Kysha Hill, Salt Lake City

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