Noel’s ‘truth’

During the Nov. 14 meeting of the Utah Legislature’s water task force, Rep. Michael Noel, R-Kanab, said that he thinks that environmental organizations that oppose the proposed Lake Powell pipeline in Utah are “not constrained by the truth.” Early this year, while pushing a bill of his that would raise the sales tax on food, Noel asserted that such an action is good for the state because revenues generated by the Utah sales tax on food are very stable, thereby repeating an unsubstantiated claim that those who would like to raise the food sales tax have been repeating for years UGG Boots The truth is that the Utah Tax Commission did not begin collecting sufficient information to verify the relative stability of the sales tax on food until Utah fiscal year 2008, so there is not enough data to justify that claim. Interestingly, between FY 2008 and FY 2009, as the recession gathered strength, taxable sales of food fell 13 percent while sales of all other taxable items fell only 7 percent. Perhaps Noel should think twice before casting the first stone. When differences of opinion arise, the other person’s ideas should not be labeled lies.