Otter throws in towel on HOME tax credit for this year

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter said today that he’s no longer working on his $10 million “Hire One More Employee” or HOME tax credit this year; the bill, HB 88, passed the House on Feb. 14, but never got a hearing in the Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee. The measure renewed and expanded a little-used existing new-jobs tax credit, changed some of its provisions, and added an extra $1,000 credit if the new employee is a veteran.

Senate Local Government & Taxation Committee Chairman Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, has declined to hold hearings on an array of House-passed tax credit and tax exemption bills this year. He said earlier this week that he was concerned that the bill did nothing for employers who kept all their workers on through the recession, rewarding only new hires now.

Otter said, “There was concern about the price tag, how it fit into the appropriation process. So we beg leave to come back another day. I’m confident we’ll come back with something next session.”