Now that voters in two counties have rejected the so-called arts tax, a Salt Lake County legislator wants to repeal the law that would allow it. But the Senate sponsor says: don't waste your time, a repeal would never pass the Legislature.
Last June, Salt Lake County voters, by a 3-2 margin, rejected the 1/10th of 1 percent sales-tax increase for the arts. Earlier this month, Iron County voters also rejected the tax."What's the point of paying for elections over and over again, the people don't want this tax increase," says Rep. Michael Wad-doups, R-Salt Lake. Waddoups has pre-filed a bill for the 1994 Legislature that repeals the arts tax law.
Sen. Haven Barlow, R-Bountiful, sponsored the arts tax bill in the 1993 Legislature. "It's a tool the people should be able to use, when they want to use it. He (Waddoups) may get it (the repeal) passed in the House. But I'll tell you, it will never pass in the Senate. He's wasting his time," says Barlow.
The law allows any county commission to increase the local-option sales tax in the county by 1/10th of 1 percent, the money going to cultural and botanical groups headquartered in the county. For example, an arts tax in Salt Lake County would support the Utah Symphony and Hogle Zoo. In Iron County, it would go for Cedar City's Shakespearean Festival. However, the law says county citizens must vote on the matter first. County commissioners don't have to follow what citizens say in the election - they could impose the tax hike even if citizens voted against it. But only a foolish politician would impose a tax hike specifically rejected in an election, the general thinking goes.
Just four weeks after the new bill became law this year, Salt Lake County commissioners called a special election on the tax. Even though proponents of the tax spent about $200,000 pushing the ballot measure and opponents spent less than $10,000, county voters rejected the new tax.
In November, Iron County supporters of the Shakespearean Festival asked county voters for the same 1/10th increase. Even though the Shakespearean Festival brings a lot of money into Cedar City's economy, voters again rejected the tax hike.
Salt Lake County officials say their special June election cost $52,000. Waddoups says the arts tax option should be repealed because overzealous commissioners will just call another election someday, costing taxpayers more money just to say no again.
"It's true the people have said no now," counters Barlow. "But things change. Maybe if we lose the Utah Symphony, can't keep the Shakespeare Festival going, then people will see things differently. It does no harm to let the people vote (on tax increases)."
"My people are saying no to any tax increase," says Waddoups. "I don't oppose the arts, I support them. But let them ask for specific grants from the state, not some tax subsidy. This (arts tax) is not the way to fund the arts."