House debate: ‘It isn’t perfect’

Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, said his position on this issue has been clear all session, as “Caribou County is affected the most of any county in the state,” and the Soda Springs school district is hit harder than any other by a potential loss of personal property tax revenue. He said his local officials have advised him that “they think this is a good compromise and the best we can do, and they have encouraged me to support this legislation, and I will be voting for it.”

Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, said, “I‘m in favor of this bill. It isn’t perfect. … We especially need to pay close attention to tax policy because of the economic condition of the households of Idaho. But I would point out that it isn’t because we have high taxes. Overall tax burden for the citizens of Idaho including local and state taxes is 51 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia,” he said. “Even when you correct it for our relatively low income we’re 46 ^th out of 51 nationally. … So it isn’t that we have an excessive tax burden, and this really is a tax shift – it’s sales tax instead of personal property tax. So I think that minding our tax policy is good, but I don’t think that thinking that we need to drop it because it’s an excessive burden is necessarily factual. I do think, however, it’s a very good deal for our small businesses and decreasing the hassle factor, and that’s why I’m supporting it.”

Rep. Brandon Hixon, R-Caldwell, said, “Idaho has some of the lowest wages in the nation, and anything we can do to help current businesses out in our current communities and then to entice new businesses to come into this state is something I believe needs to be put on the table, any chance we can get it there.”

Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, said, “I don’t think it’s a mystery to anyone in this body that I like tax cuts and I will support this bill. But I just wish that once in a blue moon we could give tax cuts without shifts.”