Utah has ranked number one in economic competitiveness and economic outlook for the 12th year in a row, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) 2019 “Rich States, Poor States” report.

Utah holds the #1 spot in the nation for twelve years in a row, thanks to the calculated work of state legislators and many other elected officials in promoting and enacting sound tax policy, as well as limiting government growth through policies such as Truth in Taxation.

The Utah Taxpayers Association has been advocating in favor of strong tax and economic principles for decades, and Utah is reaping the rewards. Thanks to these efforts, Utah has a strong business environment that benefits all Utahns and their families, through strong job growth and increased economic activity.  

Utah’s legislatures have worked diligently to keep our #1 ranking in economic outlook and competitiveness. The Utah Taxpayers Association urges legislators and other elected officials to respect the good work that has been done and to not take action, such as enacting tax pyramiding, that would reverse our course for decades.

Rankings like these illustrate exactly why the Utah Taxpayers Association is opposed to House Bill 441 in its initial form. HB 441 from the 2019 General Session, would have brought Utah into nearly unprecedented territory through the expansion of the sales tax base, including tax pyramiding. In addition, the bill would not have cut income taxes by a significant amount in order to offset the amount of new revenue that would have been collected. If policies, such as what was seen in HB 441 in the 2019 General Session, were to have passed in its original form, we would be locking arms on tax policy with some of the worst ranked states in the nation.

Utah must protect our business competitiveness and ensure that tax modernization excludes any new taxes on business inputs. Getting it wrong would ruin the economic landscape Utah has built from which it would take decades to recover.

To view the Rich States Poor States report, click here.