Almost 90 years ago, Utah voters approved the state’s first income tax, with a constitutional guarantee that the money would fund our schools. That school funding guarantee has been a cornerstone of education and tax policy in our state, but it’s now at risk as a legislative task force considers recommending a repeal.
Now is precisely not the time to gut the funding guarantee for our schools. In fact, leaving the guarantee in place could finally generate the political will to invest more resources and ensure we have a world-class education system.
Legislators arguing for repeal claim that the tax system is out of balance, with sales taxes growing too slowly to fund general government needs, while the income tax is growing faster than the needs of our students and schools.