Vote YES on Amendment B

The Real Cost of Living in Utah Right Now

You're already stretched thin. Gas costs more. Housing costs more. Groceries cost more. Every month, more of your paycheck goes to basics that should be affordable. The last thing Utah voters need right now is another tax creeping into your budget without real consensus behind it.

That's what Amendment B prevents. Right now, a tax increase only needs 50% plus one vote to become permanent law. That means a bare majority can add to your burden. Amendment B says that when someone tries to raise taxes through a ballot measure, they need 60% of voters to agree, not just barely more than half.

This is about protecting your wallet when you're already under pressure.

A Real Example: Medicaid Expansion

Look at what happened with Medicaid Expansion. Out-of-state interests funded a campaign to put it on Utah's ballot in 2018. Utah taxpayers have now spent over $5.3 billion on total Medicaid in FY 2024, with Medicaid Expansion accounting for approximately $495 million of that annual cost. When voters passed Medicaid Expansion in 2018 with a sales tax increase, the legislature had to modify it just a year later because costs were already spiraling beyond projections. Those costs continue to grow. This is exactly the kind of measure that should require genuine consensus, not a narrow margin.

Medicaid Expansion was just the beginning. Out-of-state activists are now trying to use Utah's ballot initiative process to impose liberal policies that voters in other states rejected. Redistricting initiatives, healthcare mandates, and environmental regulations written by groups based in California and New York are all finding their way onto Utah ballots because out-of-state money can buy enough signatures to get there.

Amendment B doesn't stop ballot initiatives. It just says that when a measure will permanently tax Utahns or expand government programs, it needs to clear 60%, not 51%. If an idea has real support, it can reach that threshold.

Why This Matters

Utah has been a low-tax state for a reason. We've attracted businesses, families, and entrepreneurs partly because we've been disciplined about what we tax and how much. Utah needs revenue sometimes. The question is whether a bare majority should be able to lock us into permanent obligations without genuine consensus.

A 60% threshold protects you from ballot initiatives funded by out-of-state groups trying to impose their priorities on Utah. It means that if someone wants to raise your taxes or expand government, they need to convince six out of ten Utahns, not five and a half. That's not too much to ask when the cost is permanent.

Who Supports This

Americans for Prosperity supports Amendment B because we believe your money is yours, and government should protect that principle. We're watching out-of-state activists spend millions to reshape Utah through ballot measures (initiatives about healthcare, redistricting, and taxes) driven by liberal priorities that wouldn't survive a real vote in Utah. Amendment B is a practical defense against that.

When someone tries to raise revenue through a ballot measure, they should have to persuade most of Utah, not just barely more than half. That's the difference between genuine consensus and out-of-state money buying a narrow margin. Right now, as gas stays high and housing costs everything, that distinction matters to your wallet.

The Bottom Line

Vote yes on Amendment B. You're already paying more for everything. Don't let your vote be outweighed by out-of-state money trying to add another burden to your budget. Amendment B preserves ballot initiatives while adding a single safeguard: permanent taxes need real consensus (60%, not 51%).

Your wallet. Your say. Your state.

Sources

Medicaid spending figures (FY 2024: $5.3 billion total; $495 million expansion cost): Utah Legislature, "Medicaid Spending Statewide" (2025)

Medicaid Expansion passage and sales tax increase: Utah Proposition 3 (2018)

Legislature modification and fiscal concerns: Utah Senate Bill 96 (2019)