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Eye on Boise: Idaho missing out on online sales tax
BOISE – Idaho’s state Tax Commission has a message for all those holiday shoppers making their purchases online: You still owe Idaho tax. If the online retailer doesn’t charge the tax, Idahoans are required by law to pay it when they file their income tax returns. The 6 percent tax in this case is called a “use tax” rather than sales tax.
Eye on Boise: Branden Durst resigns from state Senate for family reasons
BOISE – A Democratic state senator from Boise resigned from the Senate last week, several months after news reports suggested he’d actually already left the state. Sen. Branden Durst, D-Boise, a first-term senator who earlier served three terms in the House, said in a resignation letter delivered to the office of Gov. Butch Otter that he decided to resign “after a period of deep reflection and prayer” and concluded that his constituents would be better served if someone else were given the opportunity to represent them.
Medicaid gets Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry support
BOISE – Idaho’s biggest business lobby has come out in favor of expanding Medicaid for Idaho’s poor, a move expected to save state taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s a sign that Medicaid expansion is gaining traction despite Idaho lawmakers’ intense dislike of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Broader coverage for the poor could help Idaho more than most other states because of the way it handles catastrophic medical costs.
Eye on Boise: Crapo, Risch say anti-discrimination laws best left to states
BOISE – When the U.S. Senate voted 64-32 last week in favor of legislation to ban workplace discrimination against gays and lesbians, 10 Republicans joined 52 Democrats and two independents to support the bill, but Idaho’s two senators both voted against it. “Number one, this is a state’s rights issue,” Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said. “Number two, this bill made insufficient provisions for employers who have First Amendment constitutional protections to exercise their religious beliefs.”