In 2012, voters listed higher taxes and government spending as the 5th most important priority in the election year. This policy brief explains that while Utah has historically had a high burden of taxes and fees, its burden has actually fallen below the national average in recent years. This is largely due to major reductions in Utah’s income and sales taxes in 2006 and 2007. These changes, as well as the Great Recession, had significant effects on state government revenue, and have thus influenced state government spending as well.
As part of our Utah Priorities Project, this month Utah Foundation releases a series of policy briefs of each of the top ten issues identified in our 2012 Utah Priorities Survey. These briefs provide important information and policy analysis to ensure candidates and voters are well informed of the facts and trends related to each of the top ten issues.
Read this Utah Priorities Brief
Also see Utah Foundation research from recent years on taxes and government spending:
- U.S. Federal Deficits and Debt: Understanding the History and Context (July 2011)
- Making Sense of Utah’s Tax and Fee Burdens (March 2011)
- Spending Your Tax Dollars: An Update on State Spending Trends and the Impact of the Economic Recession (Aug. 2010)
- Spending Your Tax Dollars: Two Decades of Utah Tax and Spending Trends (June 2008)