After four hours of testimony, almost all of it against the bill, Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, explained why he was supporting HB 599 anyway, to phase in a repeal of the personal property tax on business equipment: “To me, this is a start – I can see that we’re going to have to change this all along so that it doesn’t injure the counties and the cities,” Siddoway said. “I’d like to say, ‘Trust us, trust us to get it there.’ To me this is a start.” But Senate Tax Chairman Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, who cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the bill out of committee, said he didn’t expect the bill to be changed after it’s passed. “I think there are more positives than there are negatives,” Hill said. You can read my full story here in today’s Spokesman-Review.

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