In his editorial in the Lewiston Tribune this morning, Opinion Editor Marty Trillhaase pulls back the curtain on the attempt by Gov. Butch Otter and some of his GOP legislative buddies to justify another raid on the state treasury in form of tax cuts:

For the sake of argument, let's assume down is up. Black is white. The latest installment of the Star Wars saga bombs at the box office. And the Idaho Legislature really isn't all that jazzed about cutting taxes next year. Such reticence would come with good reason. Even with an economic resurgence, the state can't afford yet another raid on its treasury if it intends to meet a multi-year $350 million commitment toward public education funding. Just the same, every legislative session ends with some member of the far right unveiling a last-minute package of lowered rates and new gimmicks. Saying no will be hard on the eve of the closed GOP primary election - in which several incumbents will have to defend their support of this year's highway tax increase package. How would you handle it? Perhaps you'd start by assigning a Tax Working Group to compile the evidence/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Should Idaho lower the tax rate on the highest incomes?