Tag Archives: taxes

Selling our national soul for 30 pieces of silver

Posted on May 2, 2013 by

Tweet The United States Senate recently voted overwhelmingly to proceed with debate on the so-called Marketplace Fairness Act, and scheduled a final vote for May 6. This law, if passed, would authorize states to require Internet-based companies without a physical … Continue reading →

Posted in Federalism | Tagged | 9 Comments

Utah tax revenue leans heavily on income, consumption

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Tweet According to a new Tax Foundation analysis of Census Bureau data on state and local government tax revenues, state and local governments in Utah rely more on individual and corporate income taxes and sales taxes, and less on property … Continue reading →

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Spending pledges vs. spending limits

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

Tweet As Congress begins to drive America off the fiscal cliff, the politics of taxes and spending will reach new levels of absurdity. Over 20 years ago a young upstart in Washington, D.C., Grover Norquist, began an anti-tax campaign calling … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget, Government Spending | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The fiscal cliffs of insanity

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

Tweet “Do you want me to send you back to where I found you … UNEMPLOYED in GREENLAND?” Or perhaps “Princess Bride’s” Vizzini should have threatened Fezzik with unemployment in the United States. As the graphic below shows us, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Government Spending | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Conservative ideas help balance conflicting interests in tax policy

Posted on October 23, 2012 by

Tweet One of the benefits for free society – for families, individuals, businesses, and others – that conservative principles and thinking provides is the possibility for balancing realities and principles that may seem to be in conflict, resembling the balancing … Continue reading →

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Intergenerational poverty, taxation and the Scrooge response

Posted on October 11, 2012 by

Tweet Earlier this week I spoke at an important conference on intergenerational poverty in Salt Lake City. Karen Crompton of Voices for Utah Children and State Senator Stuart Reid organized the conference and invited my participation as a follow-up to … Continue reading →

Posted in Poverty, Welfare | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why Orem residents are right to fight UTOPIA tax sneakiness

Posted on October 4, 2012 by

Tweet Deseret News columnist Doug Robinson sums up perfectly why Orem residents are pushing back against new taxes to pay for UTOPIA. More than 5,000 Orem residents signed a petition to force a property-tax referendum in November 2013. That means … Continue reading →

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Capitol Daily Memo: tax deductions, exemptions and credits in Utah

Posted on June 20, 2012 by

Tweet Today, the Legislature’s Revenue and Taxation Interim Committee discussed the number and amount of deductions, exemptions and credits in Utah’s tax system (property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes). These policies impact the lives of Utahns and their families … Continue reading →

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Video: Tax Freedom Day in Utah

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

Tweet In 2012, Utahns had to work 107 days to earn enough to pay all their federal, state and local taxes for the year. If all those earnings had gone straight to taxes, then beginning today, Utahns would get to … Continue reading →

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$21 Million for Rec Center? Springville Voters to Decide

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

Tweet   Springville residents will soon vote on whether to approve a $21 million tax-funded bond to build a public recreation center. What impact would this bond and rec center have on Springville taxpayers, businesses and families? Watch this video … Continue reading →

Posted in Limited Government, Taxes | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Don’t chop tax breaks for charitable contributions

Posted on October 19, 2011 by

Tweet   Should government continue to give people tax breaks for donating to charities? Elder Dallin H. Oaks, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thinks so. In response to … Continue reading →

Posted in Charity Care, Religion, Self-reliance, Taxes | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Costs of Dependency

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

Tweet   Like the poor, the debate over what to do about poverty we will always have with us. Recently, unsustainable federal budget deficits have reawakened the controversy because it now seems clear that (since payments to individuals make up … Continue reading →

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Back to basics: making government effective in Mali, Africa

Posted on July 11, 2011 by

Tweet   Sutherland recently interviewed Yeah Samake, mayor of Ouelessebougou, Mali, to discover which principles have helped him effectively lead a city in the second-poorest country in the world. Watch the video report below to hear what he said: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8nFS7AwrpU … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-reliance, Taxes, Transparency | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment