Salt Lake Chamber Outlines Budget Recommendations

11.12.2009 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) The Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce wants state lawmakers to bridge an $850 million budget shortfall with a mixture of taxes, budget cuts, and tapping the state’s reserve funds. President and CEO Lane Beattie says this will expedite the state’s economic recovery.

“Anyone can balance the state budget; I guarantee it,” Beattie says. “The challenge is not to balance the budget. The balance is the balance the budget in a manner that propels our economy forward.”

The chamber recommends increasing the sales tax on food, gas and cigarettes, while reducing the overall sales tax. It’s also advocating for lawmakers to use half of the state’s $420 million Rainy Day Fund, and all of the $100 million education reserve fund. And Beattie says targeted cuts in the budget will be necessary in certain areas.

One of these could be health and human services, though advocates have been fighting against cuts in this area. Beattie says lawmakers should look for ways to make programs like Medicaid more efficient. And he points to a strong economy as a way to reduce demand for social services.

“But is it more important that we put them to work than to just cover their costs?” Beattie asks. “We believe that in the society that we have in America today, the most important thing we can do is to make sure that they have viable, good paying jobs in this community.”

Beattie says the state’s public and higher education budgets should not be cut any further, in order to protect the state’s future workforce. The Chamber also wants lawmakers to remain committed to several large transportation projects, including improvements to I-15 in Utah County and building the Mountain View Corridor.