Tax Tug-of-War Begins

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) The tug-of-war over tax cuts has begun. Governor Jon Huntsman Junior is proposing to spend 100-million dollars of the state's surplus lowering the income tax even further. But Republicans in the House of Representatives say they want three times that. Speaker Greg Curtis says the House hasn't decided yet how to divvy up the 300-million dollar tax cut. But he says there would be enough to remove the sales tax on food and lower the income tax.

"Last year it created a lot of consernation in the Senate, they felt like we put them in a box," says Curtis. "I still feel real strongly about it, personally, but I don't want to get contentious with it."

Huntsman says he still wants to see the rest of the food tax cut, but he's willing to wait another year or two. Senate Republican leadership has not been as supportive of the cut. In addition to 300-million for tax cuts, Curtis says House Republicans want 300-million dollars spent on education. That leaves about 160-million ongoing money from the 2008 surplus to spend on other requests. He calls the caucus spending position "broad brush strokes" that lay the foundation for negotiating the budget.

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