Oct 17
Time For Tax Cuts…AGAIN!
2007 at 10:22 am | posted by Rep. Craig Frank 2 comments
As the reports roll in for last month’s State Revenue Projections, it appears as though we’re looking like we’re going collect approximately $400 Million EXTRA of your tax dollars, again. Money I’m sure you could spend more better on yourself and your family than we–your state government–can. Click HERE for Bob Bernick Article.
Once again, the Legislature faces the unfortunate task of deciding how much of your money to return to you (if any), before we spend what we won’t return to you. (Remember, I’m kind of a smaller, less intrusive, reduced budget, government sorta’ guy…so take it for what it’s worth!)
With significant cost-of-living increases over the last couple of years (my Bear River car insurance just DOUBLED over last year…I have a teenage boy driver now…and…my most expensive car is my beaten up, broken down Toyota), and local school district bond increases, and property tax increases, and possible slowing of the job market (even in Utah)…is it time to consider giving back every last dime this time around??? Remember we have to SUSTAIN this spending spree from year-to-year. Also, remember, we just finished spending nearly all of the over $2.5 BILLION surplus (your EXTRA money) from the last two years!
Comments?!
Having just returned from a Legislative Conference in Wyoming where it was called to my attention that the State of Wyoming functions just fine on a budget literally half the size of our own (approximately 500,000 residents and a $1+ Billion budget), which is about $12 Billion for 2.5 million residents, maybe we should just spend less this time around.
October 17th, 2007 at 11:46 am
Is that $400M surplus including all of the money freed up from last year’s one-time spending? Or is that “one-time” spending already converted to ongoing spending? That makes a big difference on the dollar amounts.
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:23 am
But the big government types (including every news editorialist in the state) will clammor for MORE government spending. “Heck, it’s only $X for each taxpayer, and we’re 51st in the nation on education spending, for heck sakes,” they will cry.
Utahns, including many elected officials, seem to ignore the example of California when it went on a spending spree, blowing every surplus it pulled in for several years, only to have the inevitable bust at the end of the boom cycle roll in. Then, unwilling to sacrifice state sponsored programs (I mean, which one would you cut because they’re all so “necessary”?), taxes had to go up in a tightened economy. Go check to see how happy that made the folks in California.