Salt Lake County’s zoo, arts and parks (ZAP) tax was cruising toward reauthorization, early unofficial returns showed Tuesday night.
As of 10:20 p.m., nearly 80% of voters who weighed in on the tenth-of-a-percentage-point sales tax were in favor of re-upping it for another decade. The tax generates millions for organizations like Tracy Aviary, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Red Butte Garden.
Last year, revenue from the tax totaled $36.7 million, which was allocated to more than 200 organizations. About 25% to 40% of the 2023 tax burden fell on county residents, equating to about $8 to $12 annually, according to a report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Voters have never voted down the tax since it won approval in 1996.
