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Show Ml 1 . Tax initiatives will hurt more than they will help ; Because of the nature of the political process, it is easy for issues that become the subject of intense popular debate to become distorted. That has never been more true than with the tax initiatives facing Utah voters this Tuesday. If the initiatives were to pass, they would not cripple Utah's economy beyond repair, nor would they generate the boom-town atmosphere throughout the state as it is painted by supporters. But the costs are greater than the benefits, and that's why Utah voters should defeat the initiatives this Tuesday. The initiative issue has polarized the state, and has created distortions and simplistic reasoning on both sides, mainly because be-cause the sides are looking at different issues. For supporters of the tax initiatives, the issue is not money, but power. For this group, it's not runaway spendi ng that's the issue -- it's runaway government. The initiatives are seen as a way to take the fangs out of government by limiting and controlling the ability of those in power to levy taxes. The initiatives, if they pass, will do just that, and leave the "bureaucrats" with a mandate to live within spending limits imposed by the voters. To supporters, that is much more important than how much the initiatives will cost government or save the taxpayers. On the other hand, money is the main issue for tax initiative opponents, who feel their tax dollars are paying for services they need and want. It's not that the opponents want high taxes, but they fear the repercussions if the initiatives pass as written. And they don t fear or mistrust their elected officials, as do supporters of the initiatives. Opponents don't believe a body like the Alpine School District Dis-trict can absorb a $10 million budget cut without doing away with some of the district's programs - and they don't think such a cut would be worth it. The resulting opposing views are disparate and distorted. Initiative proponents portray public officials as greedy, self-serving self-serving and dishonest - unable to be trusted to any degree to do anything in the public's interest. Opponents, on the other hand, have drummed up a list of horror stories and tax cut totals that is equally mystifying -with a new group coming forth almost daily to explain that passing the initiatives will gut this program or that service. The truth of the initiatives lies somewhere between these two radical points of view. The fact is these initiatives can pass without dismantling our school system or our government. Cities, counties and boards of education might stagger a bit, but they will hold up. On the other hand, you cannot carry out this kind of a tax reduction without some pain. And the cuts will hurt most those groups with the least fat to eliminate. That ' u structure of the initiatives. 1S ln"erent in By limiting property taxes, for instance Inv especially hard at our school system - regardle Ju' A h'U of the total state budget it reflects. ot h(nv U The flaws in initiative package don't distrihnf u. equally or fairly. uute the daniag. And they don't solve the problems supporters cl ' Utah's taxes are not a major contributing factai ".'ill. business out of the state - and reducing them wo Vk factor to bring them in. nt be amajCr In fact, in a government the size of Utah's th economy benefits just as much from governments 6j-general i does from private spending. peningasit 'f: If the initiatives pass, they will hurt more than th ii - and that's why we should vote against them 6y 'H i Voters control runaway government by electing new off , ; ' V to replace the ones who are out of control - that's how ours t ? The tax initiatives are an attempt to circumvent that I -- and will hurt essential programs like education PnCeSi Local residents should vote against the initiatives and th elect officials they can trust to manage their tax dollars ? ciently and effectively. etl1' -j |
