Letter to the editor: The taxes facing Salt Lake voters

SLC voters face many choices affecting taxes. Amendment A would remove state income-tax earmarks for higher and public education but reduce food taxes. County residents will decide renewal of Zoos Arts and Parks (‘ZAP’) portion of their sales tax. Additionally, voters will weigh the County’s deserving and much needed property tax increase to bond for homeless services. Voters don’t get to decide two other increases. The first is 0.5% in sales tax for Jazz and UHC owner SEG’s deal to renovate Delta Center and the surrounding prime blocks. The other is HB488′s 0.2%, sponsored by Sandy Representative Spendlove, which, coincidentally or not, funds a bridge to SEG’s new South Town Mall property. Opinion polls show opposition to the new sales tax, but if the Council votes yes on it, it becomes law. With the taxes voters don’t get to decide, including the unpopular sales tax, should we be surprised if they reject Homeless Services out of tax “fatigue” or anger?
It’s a pity we’ve reached the point of legislating unpopular incentives for the super-rich while leaving the disgruntled public to decide the fate of our least fortunate.
Scott Johnson
Sandy