The new state tax plan is such a square deal, let’s play connect the dots.
Dot 1: The Legislature wants to remove the constitutional earmark for education from income tax revenues.
Dot 2: To entice the education community to support this, the Legislature offers to let school district property taxes increase every year by the rate of inflation, automatically. That will add $100 million to the funding for education.
Dot 3: To get the public to vote for the constitutional amendment eliminating the education funding earmark, they offer us a promise to reduce income taxes by $100 million.
Voila, everybody wins. Schools get a boost of $100 million. Win. You and I get an income tax cut of $100 million. Win. The Legislature gets the flexibility to allocate income tax revenues wherever — all without a tax increase. Win (the next election).
Wait, though. It takes four dots to make a square. The Legislature has to cut $100 million from spending to cover the lost income tax revenues they gave us.
But now they have the flexibility to do whatever they want with income tax revenues. Education just got a $100 million windfall, so… you connect the dots.
Bill Anderson, South Salt Lake