Governor Gary R. Herbert and his wife Jeanette, Lt. Governor Spencer Cox and his wife Abby are escorted to the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. (File: Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s governor is throwing his support behind an increase in the gas tax for public schools.
The proposition on the ballot asks if Utahns want to raise the gas tax by ten cents a gallon. Gov. Gary Herbert says it would mean $320 million in new revenue.
“To be put into technology, teacher salaries, smaller classroom sizes, to help impact public safety in our classrooms — all the things the state of Utah would like to see happen,” he says. “We have not adjusted the last 18 years what we lost to inflation and purchasing power. We’ve been robbing the general fund to pay for roads, and that takes money away from education.”
The legislature would have to approve it if it passes. But opponents say Utah’s gas taxes are already higher than the national average. They say the state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.
Lt. Governor Spencer Cox sat down with Heather Kelly last week and they talked about the proposed tax on the Money Making Sense Podcast. You can hear that interview here.