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Eye On Boise

Sen. Hill on Tax Commission: ‘We’ve taken care of it’

Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, chairman of the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee, said he doesn't see great need to reform Idaho's state Tax Commission. "We tried to address some of the concerns with compromises, and yet these whistleblowers keep claiming there should be no compromises, and I don't agree with that concept," said Hill, a CPA. "That's why the Legislature stepped in and very clearly said, 'Yes, there should be compromises under these circumstances,' and we outlined those." He added, "As far as I'm concerned, we have addressed this issue, we've taken care of it, but ... we are certainly amenable to suggestions from the public, from other legislators, from anyone else of how we can run our government better, and that includes the state Tax Commission."

Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, is proposing sweeping reform legislation, aimed in part at taking politics out of the process; but Hill said issues like property tax rules and revenue forecasts ultimately are decided by the state Legislature. "How you depoliticize the Legislature I don't know - politics is part of what makes representative democracy work," he said. "I don't think politics is a bad thing necessarily." You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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