Get Outta Here!
A petition mysteriously appeared at the Legislature this week that would send chills down the spines of most elected officials.
It reads: "As real taxpayers who live in the state of Utah we are disgusted that Sen. Howard Stephenson is opposing the elimination of the sales tax on food while promoting large tax breaks for big corporations. We demand that he resign as president of the Utah Taxpayers Association and his seat in the Utah Senate."
Trib reporters tried to track down the "real taxpayers." But no luck. No one, it seems, wants to take credit for the cheeky petition or tell us how much support they have for giving Howard the heave ho.
Knowing Stephenson is a big fan of the Constitution, including the part (right next to Freedom of the Press) that guarantees the right of citizens to petition, we asked him about it.
The Draper Republican, whose day job, indeed, is a lobbyist for big business, pleaded guilty to the petition's allegations.
In fact, he says, "I'll sign that."
Removing the grocery tax will cost businesses money, Stephenson argues, while industry tax breaks will prime the state's economic pump.
Being a legislator, he of course, had to offer a tortured aphorism: "Is it better to remove the tax from a man's fish purchase -- or to remove the tax on his fishing tackle with which he supports his family?"
Yes, it's bad enough to make a case for a sin tax on lawmaker speech.
-- Glen Warchol
It reads: "As real taxpayers who live in the state of Utah we are disgusted that Sen. Howard Stephenson is opposing the elimination of the sales tax on food while promoting large tax breaks for big corporations. We demand that he resign as president of the Utah Taxpayers Association and his seat in the Utah Senate."
Trib reporters tried to track down the "real taxpayers." But no luck. No one, it seems, wants to take credit for the cheeky petition or tell us how much support they have for giving Howard the heave ho.
Knowing Stephenson is a big fan of the Constitution, including the part (right next to Freedom of the Press) that guarantees the right of citizens to petition, we asked him about it.
The Draper Republican, whose day job, indeed, is a lobbyist for big business, pleaded guilty to the petition's allegations.
In fact, he says, "I'll sign that."
Removing the grocery tax will cost businesses money, Stephenson argues, while industry tax breaks will prime the state's economic pump.
Being a legislator, he of course, had to offer a tortured aphorism: "Is it better to remove the tax from a man's fish purchase -- or to remove the tax on his fishing tackle with which he supports his family?"
Yes, it's bad enough to make a case for a sin tax on lawmaker speech.
-- Glen Warchol
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