Tax Foundation President predicts federal tax reforms in near future
by Howard Stephenson

Positive federal tax reform may be on the horizon regardless of who the
next U.S. President is, according to Scott Hodge, President of the
Washington-based Tax Foundation.
Hodge argues that the next President and Congress will have to deal with
the collision of two cataclysmic [...]

by Howard Stephenson

This summer, the Utah Legislature’s Interim Revenue and Taxation
Committee will be discussing acquisition-based valuation for property
tax purposes. Acquisition-based valuation is a fundamental component of
California’s Proposition 13, which California voters passed in 1978.
Utah currently uses fair market valuation in which property valuations
are based on current assessments by the county assessor.
The Utah Taxpayers Association has [...]

by Howard Stephenson

Utah’s total tax and fee burden as percent of personal income increased
from 15.76% in FY2005 (revised) to 16.08% in FY2006. Utah’s ranking,
however, improved from 5th highest to 8th highest.
Excluding fees, Utah’s tax burden, 11.34%, ranks 20^th , and is just
slightly above the national average of 11.24%.
When all state and local government revenue is [...]

by Howard Stephenson

It’s election year for the legislature and school boards and if voters
listen to claims of some, they would believe that the Utah legislature
has been stingy with funding for education, that spending per student
falls further and further behind inflation, leaving Utah school
districts with little choice but to trim spending and restrict teacher
salary increases.
However, the [...]

by Howard Stephenson

On May 13, the Utah Taxpayers Association will host our annual “Taxes Now” conference at Salt Lake’s Little America Hotel. The packed agenda will include Utah’s most influential policy leaders outline the impact of the 2008 Legislature’s decisions that affect business, the economy, and taxes, and preview the key issues Utah faces going [...]

by Howard Stephenson

Last week Provo Mayor Lewis Billings announced the sale of its municipal telecom system iProvo to Broadweave.  The news out of Provo is heartening, especially to those who understand that government should stay out of the business of business. With the pending sale of iProvo to Broadweave, municipal telecom in Utah is slowly, [...]

by Howard Stephenson

Consumers worldwide are reeling under the price increases for basic food
commodities such as flour and sugar. While families have enjoyed for
decades what was always expected to be an ever-decreasing cost of food,
the expectation that the price decline would continue has been brought
up short recently and threatens confidence in markets around the world.
There are [...]

by Howard Stephenson
American taxpayers know the significance of April 15 about as much as
they do July 4. Those who paid their federal taxes in the past will be
receiving a big rebate to in the next few weeks – a rebate of money the
federal government doesn’t have, but they’ll have it printed up and our
grandkids will [...]

by Howard Stephenson

Advocates for transparent government and restricting government
competition with private sector businesses were thrilled with the
results of the recently concluded 2008 General Session of the Utah
Legislature.
Government in the business of business
One of the most significant legislative victories for taxpayers and free
enterprise advocates this
session was a package of three-bills which addressed the issue of
government competition [...]

by Howard Stephenson

Utah’s largest municipal telecom systems are proving that
government-owned telecom networks don’t work well. Sources indicate that
Provo is preparing to sell its iProvo network, likely at fire sale
prices. Meanwhile, UTOPIA announced this week that it is restructuring
its $181 million in debt so they can repay it over 33 years instead of
the original 20 years.
iProvo’s [...]