I’m sure you have seen it in the papers. Legislators are still dragging their feet to support Governor Herbert’s Health Utah plan which will provide health care for low-income Utahns who have no other affordable option for care. Thousands of Utahns are waiting to see what will happen with this decision; for those in the coverage gap it could literally be a life-or-death decision. We must let our elected officials know where the public stands. Click here to send a message to your legislators telling them it is time to do the right thing and bring our tax dollars back into the state to cover our fellow Utahns.
In other news, AARP released a report this last week showing all Utahns have a lot to gain if we can help more workers save for retirement. Not only will more Utahns be prepared for their retirement years, but taxpayers will save by having fewer rely on government programs. As quoted in the Salt Lake Tribune,
“State Treasurer Richard Ellis applauded AARP’s help in accumulating figures showing how small increases in workers’ savings can reduce government spending.
‘In the next year we’ll define programs we can support to encourage the private sector to get involved so we don’t have a crisis,’ Ellis said.”
We will continue to fight for policy during this session and throughout the year that will increase Utahns’ access to retirement savings plans and increase their ability to save.
Finally, we experienced a setback for the extension of the Retirement Income Tax Credit this week. This credit is currently available for retirees 63 years old and older. We wanted to make sure all Utahns would have access to this credit when they retire, but an extension of the credit was voted down in committee. Also voted down in the legislation was an effort to remove state taxes on Social Security benefits for those who rely upon it the most. We will continue to work to extend the credit permanently for future retirees.
Thank you for your continued support,
Danny Harris
Director of Advocacy, AARP Utah