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Committee advances constitutional resolution to require 60% to approve tax‑imposing ballot initiatives
Summary
Senate Joint Resolution 2 (SJR 2) would raise the voter approval threshold for citizen initiatives that impose new taxes or expand taxes to 60%. The committee voted 4–1 to recommend the measure to the full Senate after extensive public comment for and against the change.
Senator Fillmore sponsored Senate Joint Resolution 2, a proposal to ask voters whether the state constitution should require a 60% approval threshold for ballot initiatives that create or increase taxes or impose fiscal obligations on the state.
Sponsor remarks framed the measure as a question of fairness and accountability: raising taxes, he said, can be decided only by a broader consensus because citizens cannot remove or directly vote out neighbors who may initiate a tax on others. Billy Hesterman of the Utah Taxpayers Association testified in favor, noting that many recent local tax questions have…
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