From today’s House debate on HB 380, the tax-cut bill:

Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said top earners would benefit, and they “don’t need it and frankly aren’t even asking for it.” She said, “The vast majority of that is going to land in the laps of the very wealthiest Idahoans. … Do we believe that the gap between the rich and the poor isn’t big enough, and that the Idaho Legislature needs to step in?”

Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, said, “When we talk about tax policy in the state of Idaho, things aren’t always what we think they are.” He noted other surrounding states that either have no income tax or lower rates than Idaho’s. “Quite frankly, we’re out of whack.  … What this bill does is tries to make Idaho look better, tries to make Idaho competitive with surrounding states,” he said. “Idaho needs to do something in regards to lowering our tax rates.” He noted that the top two income tax rates in Idaho, which would be lowered from 7.4 and 7.1 percent to 7.3 and 7.1 percent, by the bill, kick in at relatively low income levels, with the top rate applying to those with taxable income of more than $10,800. “You’re the rich, in Idaho,” he said.

Rep. Ryan Kerby, R-New Plymouth, spoke in favor of the bill. “One thing I campaigned on was that government would grow slower than the economy,” he said, “and the last my two years in here, the economy has grown at phenomenal rates.” He called the bill “very fair.”

Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise, said, “Dressing up our tax policy, putting a little makeup on it, doesn’t change some of the challenges that we have in the state of Idaho.” He said Idaho should instead invest in schools, health care, roads and more, saying, “In this body, we want to give tax relief constantly to the detriment of many other parts of our economy.”