Disabled vs. schools tax fight: Education wins

Tax break • Senators worry proposal would deprive schools of needed revenue.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

In a tax fight over whether to help the disabled or school children, the school kids won on Wednesday.

A bill to give a tax credit to families with dependents who are disabled, HB250, failed to advance on a tie 3-3 vote in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. The bill had already passed 47-21 in the House.

Its sponsor, Rep. John Dougall, R-Highland, said families with disabled members are as deserving as others who currently receive tax credits, and could use the financial help.

But it would reduce tax collections by an estimated $781,000 a year. So the Utah Taxpayers Association opposed it, saying taking away that much money could hurt Utah schools. Several senators said they opposed it — unless some way can be worked out to ensure it will not hurt schools.

Lee Davidson