Huckleberries Online

Idaho Tax Burden 6th Lowest

Posted by DFO

Dec. 18, 2009 8:32 a.m. • 7 comments

Idaho’s overall tax burden, per capita, is the sixth-lowest in the country and the lowest among western states, the Idaho Tax Commission says. That’s the result of its latest tax burden study, which showed significant impact from the 2006 legislation that lowered Idaho’s property tax, although it also increased the state’s sales tax. The study showed that Idaho’s tax burden is 29.5 percent below the national average, the lowest it’s been compared to the national average since similar studies started 22 years ago/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: Who deserves credit for Idaho’s low tax burden?

Seven comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Phaedrus on December 18 at 8:39 a.m.
LarrySpencer.
moscow_minidoka on December 18 at 8:41 a.m.
Only sixth lowest? Good god, we need to all join the Teabag Party and OVERTHROW the yoke of OPPRESSIVE BIG GOV’T in Idaho and make sure that Allred doesn’t get elected, darn tootin’! We need to be No. 1, and we can’t do that with that Socialist Obama in office!

In all seriousness, our tax burden is so low because of anti-tax sentiment in this state. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, really, but it would be nice if the study also showed how underfunded many of our state services are as a result of that low tax burden, and how low the average income is in Idaho.
Smacky on December 18 at 8:44 a.m.
Agreed MM. That low tax is the reason the state struggled with vaccines this year, and cut a major chunk of funding for our schools. Some people may move here for the low taxes, but others will move away due to the dearth of community resources.
idawa on December 18 at 10:52 a.m.
MM and Smacky are just bitter, but they should be happy they live in a tax Shangri-La. I mean, Idaho must be busting at the seems with employers (and their jobs) who want to flee to a low tax, minimal regulation sanctuary!

Oh, you mean Idaho has an unemployment rate similar to it’s socialist neighbors, WA and OR. Oh, and Idaho only has 2 fortune 500 companies (with Micron soon about to fall off the list…). Hmmm… that does.not.compute.must.cling.to.anti.tax.bias.must.belief.that.taxes.are.always.bad…argh.
Smacky on December 18 at 10:57 a.m.
Idawa, what was bitter? Isn’t it true that taxes pay for community resources? Or are you one who believes they are dropped here by God?
idawa on December 18 at 11:01 a.m.
smack. re-read my post. I know sarcasm rarely plays well in written form, but I still try.
Smacky on December 18 at 12:54 p.m.
Mea Culpa Idawa.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.