taxes

Utah's legislative session is 45 days long, and lawmakers are in the final day's sprint to beat the midnight deadline. Lawmakers got most of their promised court reforms — but were they able to get the rest of their priorities?

The gas tax cut is about 6 cents per gallon and would start July 1. It’s good timing after the Iran war has jolted markets and oil prices.

As Utahns increasingly worry about the economic effects of inflation and tariffs, state lawmakers are eyeing an income tax cut for the sixth year in a row.

Republican lawmakers want to save money, cut taxes and build more homes. Democrats are more focused on other parts of the household budget, such as child care and food security.

Salt Lake County wants to raise property taxes by almost 15 percent in 2026, much to the frustration of residents. A group has filed a petition for a referendum that would block the tax increase.

Funds for public education in Utah vary by school district. That’s left some asking to increase property taxes to secure more revenue to keep skilled educators in their classrooms.

Gas tax revenues have risen in the last few years, but Utah isn’t waiting for electric vehicles to cut into that. EV drivers here pay additional registration fees and a charging tax to help fund road maintenance.

“For all these reasons — public trust; accounting and legal challenges; protection of education funding; and the message to our educators — I’m vetoing the bill,” Gov. Spencer Cox wrote to lawmakers.

Some advocates are pushing Gov. Spencer Cox to veto the bill, but AARP Utah says it will help more people stay in their homes.

Dollars from the State Basic School Levy on Utahns’ property tax bills used to go directly to local districts. Lawmakers say the change is in the interest of state budget flexibility and giving schools more equitable funding in the future.

If you ask some in the Legislature, the 60% voter threshold is about accountability when your neighbor is proposing a tax increase. Similar resolutions failed to pass in the last two years.

“We have done the hard things, never shying away from the heavy lifts,” Gov. Spencer Cox told the crowd. “Time and again, Utah has punched above its weight over these last four years.”