Idaho State Capitol – On Thursday, the House Revenue and Taxation Committee sent H409 to the House floor with a do pass recommendation. The legislation would freeze the property tax portion of a taxing district’s budget for one year with the exception of school taxing districts. Representative Lauren Necochea/(D-Boise) and other Democrats on the committee voted against the motion to send the legislation to the House floor with a do pass recommendation.
“HB409 will not solve Idaho’s property tax problem. In fact, your property taxes will continue to increase because property tax assessments will continue to increase.” Representative Lauren Necochea/(D-Boise) explained. “Democrats are committed to correcting the dramatic property tax shift to homeowners. Serious conversations about property tax reform need to include updating the homeowner’s exemption, expanding our property tax assistance program (known as the circuit-breaker), and impact fees that will allow growth to pay for growth. I am not supporting this bill on the floor because it will not decrease property taxes and it is not a meaningful solution.”
“After a conversation on the floor about the merits of this legislation, we are hopeful that Republicans will be interested in talking about real solutions to property tax. The legislature needs to take a hard look at the property tax laws that are shifting the load to average Idahoans and giving breaks to corporations.”