Voices for Utah Children Articles

  • Tracking Utah's K-12 Education Funding

    It’s official: Utah returns to ranking last in the nation for per-pupil education spending. While the national average is $15,633, Utah’s spending stands at $9,552 per student, placing the state 51st for Fiscal Year 2022.[i] Let’s dive into the data to...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams, Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Bad for Kids: Important Information on Amendment A

    The well-deserved negative attention to Amendment D–ruled void by a Utah judge for being “false and misleading”–has more people asking, “What exactly is in Amendment A?” To start, there are several similarities between Amendments A and D: Voices for...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • What the Legislature’s New Constitutional Amendment Means for Education

    As the November elections approach, one crucial issue on the ballot is the proposed amendment to end the constitutional mandate Utah voters passed decades ago, directing the legislature to use state income tax to fund public education. This proposal...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Abdikadir Eftin, Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Just Released! 2023 Utah KIDS COUNT© Data Book

    We are excited to announce the publication of our 2023 KIDS COUNT© Data Book. This annual release provides valuable insights into the well-being of children in Utah. We invite you to take a moment to explore the data and learn more about the state of...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Martín Muñoz, Laneta Fitisemanu
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Tax Cuts Hurt Kids

    Why Voices Opposes Proposed Income Tax Cuts Over the past four years, Utah's Legislative Leadership has consistently prioritized tax cuts above the needs of Utah's families. Despite a $400 million tax cut passed last year that benefited the most...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Take Action on EITC Awareness Day 

    January 26th is Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Awareness Day! The EITC is a vital tool in reducing child poverty, and improving the long-term outcomes for children across our state. Some tax policies - like the EITC - promote fairness and equity....

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Abdikadir Eftin
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Our 2024 Legislative Agenda

    At Voices for Utah Children, we always start with this guiding question: "Is it good for all kids?" That remains our north star at the outset of the 2024 legislative session, and is reflected in our top legislative priorities. So, what’s good for all...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • How to Strengthen Utah's Child Tax Credit

    In 2023, Utah introduced its own child tax credit (CTC) marking a positive step forward. However, the credit's limited scope falls short of providing real assistance to families raising young children. As we approach the 2024 legislative session, there...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The Governor’s 2024 Budget: Hits and Misses for Utah Families

    Governor Cox unveiled his budget last week, and the general direction of the budget is positive. Voices for Utah Children is interested in some specific components of the budget that directly impact Utah children and their families: Public Education...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Anna Thomas
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Tax Policy 101: Tax Refundability

    Tax policy is complicated. Talking about taxes involves jargon, and concepts that can be confusing. For example, what is a 'refundable' tax credit? What exactly does that mean, and how does it help families? We answer these questions here with a quick...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Jenna Williams
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Making Utah Taxes Fair for All Families

    Most of us don't enjoy paying taxes. We do it, though, because pooling our money together through taxes makes it possible for us to have roads, schools, libraries and parks, fire fighters and law enforcement, and so many more public goods that none of...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Empower Utah Families with Better Income Tax Credits

    When it comes to improving the lives of hardworking Utahns, we need policies that help those who are struggling to make ends meet. A refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) could do just that. Let's start by discussing what the earned income tax...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Thorne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Annie E. Casey Foundation Releases 34th edition of KIDS COUNT® Data Book

    Utah Shines in Child Well-Being Rankings, Yet the Strain of Inaccessible, Unaffordable Child Care Pushes Parents to the Breaking Point Utah made significant strides in overall child well-being, moving up to second place in the country from fourth last...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Laneta Fitisemanu
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Utah Children's Budget 2023

    The care for the children in our state and communities can be measured by our public investment in our smallest humans. From the fiscal year 2008 to 2022, Voices for Utah Children divided all state programs concerning children into seven categories,...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Summary of the Tax Cuts Passed by the 2023 Utah Legislature

    The Legislature finished its 2023 General Session last Friday evening, March 3rd. In the area of tax policy, we've prepared the chart above to summarize the tax cuts passed this year. The tax cuts that will go into effect in the next year add up to...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Utah Education Funding: Legislative Leadership vs The Data

    At two large pre-legislative events in the second week of January, hundreds of attendees heard Utah's Senate President proudly assert that Utah was the only state that increased education funding during the pandemic. Every year, especially around the...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Invest in Utah's Future Coalition: $5.6b of unmet needs should be prioritized over tax cuts

    BROAD COALITION CALLS FOR INVESTMENT IN UTAH’S FUTURE RATHER THAN TAX CUTS, DOCUMENTS $5.6 BILLION IN URGENT UNMET NEEDS Salt Lake City – On Monday, January 23, 2023 at the Utah State Capitol, a broad and diverse coalition of advocates for the poor,...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Comparing the Tax Cuts

    * * SEE COMPLETE ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATURE'S $400 MILLION TAX CUT PROPOSAL AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE * * The 2023 Legislature's annual seven-week General Session has begun! At the top of the agenda for the Governor and Legislative leadership: tax...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • The best holiday gift for Utah kids this year: An improved federal Child Tax Credit

    Every December Congress meets to try to pass all the urgent items they didn't manage to get done the rest of the year. Usually the list includes tax policy changes demanded by one well-heeled special interest or another. This year is no different. At...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Matthew Weinstein
    • Category: Updates & Blog

  • Utah Economic Benchmarking Project 2022: Utah vs Texas

    New Economic Benchmarking Report Finds Utah Ahead of Texas in Most Key Metrics of Economic Opportunity and Standard of Living Salt Lake City, August 31, 2022 - Voices for Utah Children released today the fifth in its series of economic benchmarking...

    • Type: Article
    • Author: Taylor Throne
    • Category: Updates & Blog
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