Gov. Norm Bangerter may give lawmakers a chance to consider adding another question to the November ballot besides whether to take sales tax off food - whether to make up the annual $110 million loss through budget cuts or a tax hike.
The idea for a companion question to the sales tax initiative that Bangerter has already opposed came from GOP legislative leadership during a closed-door meeting late Monday afternoon.The governor would have to call a special session of the Legislature - probably by August - and a majority of the Legislature, which is dominated by Republicans, would have to endorse the question for it to be placed on the general election ballot.
Bangerter would not say after the meeting Monday whether he would ask lawmakers to put the question on the ballot, calling boosting funding of human service programs his first priority at a special session.
The governor's chief of staff, Bud Scruggs, said making voters choose between budget cuts or a tax increase if the sales tax is removed from food sounds like a good idea but still "has got a long way to go."
It will take legislative counsel at least a month to draft a ballot question based on the idea from House Speaker Nolan Karras, R-Roy, and House Majority Leader Craig Moody, R-Sandy.
The GOP leaders believe the ballot question may be the answer to what they see as a frustrating campaign technique being used by Democrats - selling the initiative as both a tax cut and an opportunity to readjust income tax rates so the rich pay more.
Karras said that the additional ballot question would force initiative supporters to take a stand one way or the other, calling it "a way to smoke them out."
Merrill Cook, chairman of the Independent Party whose members gathered the 69,000 signatures needed to get the food tax removal on the ballot, had harsh words for Karras' and Moody's idea.
"It's manipulation of the system, pure and simple," said Cook. "Taking the food tax off is a tax cut. We've been as clear as a bell, saying that all along. That's why we never talked about raising another tax to offset it."
Cook says that adding another question to the ballot, a question like: "Removing the sales tax from food will cost state and local governments $110 million. How should this be made up, tax increases or program cuts?" clearly is aimed at influencing a voter's decision in the polling booth.
"Those aren't the only choices. This additional question is a ruse, an attempt to influence how people vote on the real food tax question by refusing to talk about state surpluses." Cook believes the state will have large surpluses this coming fiscal year and in subsequent years. Bangerter doubts those surpluses will materialize.
"To call a special session for this additional question, to put it on the ballot, is not playing fair. I hope the governor refuses to do it," said Cook.
Monday's meeting between Bangerter and GOP legislative leaders did bring support for the governor's position - opposition to the food tax initiative although not all GOP leaders are willing to publically agree with the governor. (Bangerter says he's unwilling to consider raising other taxes, so program cuts are the only alternative).
Meeting participants declined to say who those Republican holdouts were, but Moody said everyone agreed on one issue. "Nobody was willing in there to say we'd support a tax increase. That's a Democratic position," he said.
Republicans have not yet come up with a position on taking the sales tax off food, and GOP leaders hope this weekend's State Republican Convention will remain officially neutral on the food tax issue. Some top Democrats leaders have already said they support the initiative and restructuring income taxes and will attempt to get the State Democratic Convention in two weeks to adopt such a policy.