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Among the ideas the state Parks Board threw out to fill the hole when their gas tax funding for trails goes away: Diverting sales taxes from sales of boats and off-road vehicles to trails; imposing a new tax on sporting goods to fund recreation; and slapping an extra tax on soda pop or candy, which 19 states already do. Another idea was to tap a federal funding source that now goes to Idaho Fish & Game for their boating facilities, though the board acknowledged that’d create a new funding hole at Fish & Game. Other ideas included raising Idaho’s motor vehicle registration fees by $3 specifically for recreation, and giving parks a share of lottery proceeds, which now go to schools and the state building fund.
Betsy Z. Russell covers Idaho news from The Spokesman-Review's bureau in Boise.
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DCR on August 13 at 2:49 p.m.
I submit it not be a hardship to slap a “nickel a six-pack” tax on soda products, and the state would realize a tremendous amount of revenue.
There were similar, albeit informal, studies done in 1985 and 1986 when Idaho considered raising the drinking age from 19 to 21 under the threat of losing federal highway funds, and a “nickel a six-pack” tax (multiplied proportionately for keg beer) and a “dime a bottle” of booze combined would have far exceeded the funds Idaho would have lost. Those numbers were based on sales data from beer distributors and the ISLD sales reports.
I'm willing to bet that Idahoans buy much more soda than beer….
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