Some agreement, some disagreement

So far, there’s possible agreement on the concept of maybe adding some kind of an economic trigger to allow the tax break to be put off if the state’s budget dips, but no agreement on the question of the interplay between the 3 percent budget cap on counties and the exemption. The conference committee quizzed Idaho Association of Counties lobbyist Tony Poinelli about the site-by-site approach in the Senate version of the break. “That just seemed to be by far the easiest method,” Poinelli told the panel. Businesses already prepare site-specific lists of their equipment for the personal property tax. “It’s so much easier,” Poinelli said.

Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, said the House would prefer to see the exemption go up to $100,000, rather than $75,000, even though that would exceed the homeowner’s exemption from property tax. Hill said the $75,000 figure was selected to keep it below the amount of the homeowner’s exemption. Next year, the homeowner’s exemption will rise from the current $89,325 to just over $100,000, but then it’s expected to drop again, because it’s tied to an index of Idaho housing prices.