Government Spending and Taxes was Issue #3 in our 2008 Utah Priorities Poll
TIn the survey, the issues of government spending and taxes were separate. After examining the results from the survey, as well as noting the similarities and interrelatedness of the two issues, they were combined. However, separate results are available for each of the two issues.

On a 1-5 scale, with 1 being “not at all concerned” and 5 being “very concerned, 65% of those polled gave government spending a 4 or 5. 63% of those polled gave taxes a 4 or 5. The average score for government spending was 3.90, while taxes received a 3.87 average score.

The follow up questions for government spending consisted of asking respondents to respond if they thought certain areas of government spending should receive more funding, less, or the same. A 1-5 scale was used, where 1 meant “definitely decrease” funding, 3 meant “keep the same” level of funding and 5 meant “definitely increase” funding. Education was clearly where respondents thought the most additional money should be spent.



The follow up questions for taxes included questions about tax issues and questions about tax burdens. The tax issue question asked respondents how concerned they were about a specific issue on a scale of 1-5, where 1 was “not at all concerned.”



The tax burden questions asked respondents to indicate, on a 1-5 scale, how heavy a burden they felt from the specific tax, where 1 was a “very light burden” and 5 was a “very heavy burden.” The tax issue of greatest concern was “how tax dollars are spent,” which reinforced the idea of combining government spending and tax issues. Property and gas taxes were reported as the most burdensome taxes for Utahns.



Research on Government Spending and Taxes by Utah Foundation

Government Spending Reports/Briefs:

• Jan 2008: Equalizing School Building Funds
• Aug 2007: Utah's Education Funding Effort: Update and Historical Perspective
• Aug 2006: Property Tax or Sales Tax? Funding Transit Investments in Salt Lake County
• Apr 2006: Paradox Lost: Utah's Public Education Funding Effort No Longer Surpasses the Nation
• Dec 2003: State Government Debt in Utah: Rapid Growth in Recent Years
• Oct 2003: Utah State Government Growth: 1991 to 2002
• May 2003: Redistributing Utah's Tax Resources: Burdens and Benefits Around the State
• Feb 2001: Federal Expenditures in Utah: FY 1990 to 1999
• Jun 2000: Utah Public School Finances: FY 1998-99
• Mar 2000: Utah Public Education Financing and the State School Trust Fund

Tax Reports/Briefs:

• Feb 2008: Utah's Property Tax Burden
• May 2007: Utah's State and Local Tax and Fee Burdens
• Sep 2006: Utah's Tax Burden: Excluding Non-Compulsory Fees Provides a More Accurate Ranking
• Aug 2006: Property Tax or Sales Tax? Funding Transit Investments in Salt Lake County
• Feb 2005: Personal Property Taxes: Taxes on Business Equipment
• Feb 2005: Effects of Broadening the Sales Tax to Services
• Feb 2005: Flat Income Taxes: Less Progressive But More Stable
• May 2004: Utah's Tax Situation (Executive Summary)
• May 2003: Redistributing Utah's Tax Resources: Burdens and Benefits Around the State
• Sep 2002: Utah at the Crossroads: Challenges for K-12 Education in the Coming Ten Years (includes a discussion of tax burden and spending for education)
• Feb 2002: Economic Recessions, Taxes, and Utah: Lessons Learned From the Past
• Jul 2001: Property Taxes in Utah and the 50 States
• Jun 2001: How do Utah's Taxes and Fees Compare to Other States?
• May 2001: Fiscal Summary of the 2001 Legislative Session

Also see other reports related to government spending under Public Education and Higher Education.
Utah Foundation will release a Research Report on this issue this year as part of the Utah Priorities project. Subscribe to our email list, using the form on the left side of this page to ensure you receive this and other reports and briefs on the top ten issues.