The Legislature’s pitch for tax reform was ambitious but relatively well-defined: Stabilize sales tax collections by applying it to services not now taxed, like car washes and funerals and legal services, and then offset any new money coming in by lowering the rate people pay on such purchases.
But from the ashes of that failed proposal emerged a more sprawling, open-ended and ambiguous plan. A new task force will likely weigh any and all shifts in Utah’s tax structure ahead of an expected special session this year, which could see tweaks to everything from the traditional revenue pool for public education or a return to a full sales tax on food.