Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Otter mum on grocery tax plans, but worried about state budget; Little urges him to sign repeal bill

Gov. Butch Otter responds to the Idaho legislative session at a press conference in his office on Monday; he's flanked by several GOP state senators. (Betsy Z. Russell)
Gov. Butch Otter responds to the Idaho legislative session at a press conference in his office on Monday; he's flanked by several GOP state senators. (Betsy Z. Russell)

Gov. Butch Otter wouldn’t say today whether he’ll veto the bill to repeal Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax on groceries, but as he responded to the just-concluded legislative session, Otter focused mostly on his concerns about the state general fund and how Idaho will be able to afford to deal with significant infrastructure damage from a tough winter and still fund education improvements for which it’s committed in the future.

Otter said he has “stacks” of bills awaiting his signature or veto. “You’ll find out when I sign ‘em or when I don’t sign ‘em. I just need you to know and have in mind that there are a lot of other things that I have to consider relative to the general fund budget,” he said.

Otter said he has no plans to call a special session on his proposed unemployment insurance tax rate cut for employers, which failed late in the session amid squabbling between the House and Senate – even though he termed his proposal a “no-brainer.”

“If I were going to do that, it would’ve been today,” he said.

Otter’s press conference today originally was scheduled for last Thursday, but he put it off because he’d lost his voice. “By Friday morning I was down to a whisper,” he said, still hoarse. “I’m a little bit better now.”

While Otter was speaking, Lt. Gov. Brad Little issued a news release calling on Otter to sign the grocery tax repeal bill into law. “HB 67 will lower the tax burden for all Idahoans while greatly improving border community businesses,” Little said.

Otter has until April 12 to either sign or veto the bill, or it would become law without his signature.



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.

Follow Betsy online: