IFF: Fix Roads Sans New Taxes

For the last several days, a group of Republican legislators have been holding semi-secret 7 a.m. meetings to solve the question of how to pump more money into Idaho’s highways and bridges. They’re racing the clock to develop a plan that could win support of the House and Senate and then signed into law. They’re racing the clock because lawmakers still hope to go home by next Friday. But it doesn’t take 7 a.m. meetings to fix what ails the state’s highways and bridges. Rep. Stephen Harris of Meridian has the best plan of all the plans that have been submitted thus far. Harris’ proposal simply calls for the Legislature to clamp down on current programmatic spending starting next summer. By clamping down on spending, the state would free up the new tax revenue that comes into the state through economic growth, and that freed up money could then be plowed into highways and bridges/ Wayne Hoffman , Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.

Question: Should Idaho raise taxes to fix roads and bridges or should it find the money by clamping down on other programs?