March 25, 2022

Bill to Provide In-home Caregivers Property Tax Relief Passes House

On Friday, a bipartisan bill to provide in-home caregivers property tax relief passed the House in a 51-14 vote. Senate Bill 1259, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), allows a person who owns a certified family home to qualify for the state’s property tax reduction program, known as the circuit breaker, by exempting the payment they receive from the state …

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February 22, 2022

Bill to Provide Property Tax Relief for In-home Caregivers Passes the Senate

On Tuesday, a bill to provide in-home caregivers property tax relief passed the Senate in a 29-5 vote. Senate Bill 1259, sponsored by Sen. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise), would allow a person who is the owner of a certified family home to qualify for the state’s property tax reduction program, also known as the circuit breaker, by exempting the payment they …

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February 4, 2022

Bill to Reduce Supplemental Levies, Property Taxes Introduced in Senate Education

A bill to reduce supplemental levies for school districts was introduced in the Senate Education Committee Thursday. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. David Nelson (D-Moscow), would enable the Idaho Legislature to appropriate additional funding to K-12 schools. Per the bill, if a school has a supplemental levy in place, 75% of the allocated money must go to reducing the levy. …

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February 1, 2022

Lopsided Income Tax Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk

Senate Republicans forwarded House Bill 436 to the governor’s office in a party-line vote. All Democrats voted against the legislation, advocating instead for more critical tax solutions, such as reducing property taxes or repealing the sales tax on groceries, and using state funds to plug the holes in school budgets that must be filled by supplemental levies. Under the bill, …

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September 18, 2021

“Our property tax crisis requires solutions, not scapegoats” – by Reps. Ilana Rubel, Lauren Necochea, and Sally Toone

We could not believe our eyes when we read a recent op-ed from Idaho House GOP leadership scapegoating local government for the property tax crisis created by GOP legislators themselves. We must set the record straight. While it may be county officials mailing you the bill, don’t blame the messengers. The jaw-dropping number on that bill is not due to …

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August 13, 2021

“It’s time to address Idaho’s housing crisis” – by Sen. Ali Rabe

Idaho continues to make national news for its booming real estate market as people flock to the Gem State in droves, causing home values and rental costs to skyrocket. As a result, people who’ve lived here for generations are being forced to move to other states. In some cases, Idahoans are losing their housing and becoming homeless for the very …

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May 13, 2021

Little Signs Irresponsible Property Tax Bill

On Wednesday, Gov. Brad Little signed the GOP’s grossly irresponsible property tax bill, which will not lower property taxes for most residents and potentially harms those most in need. The legislation had bipartisan opposition in the House and Senate. Many local officials as well as the AARP testified about the damaging impacts House Bill 389 will have. Those concerns went …

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May 3, 2021

House GOP Proposes Irresponsible Property Tax Bill

In the House Ways and Means Committee Monday, GOP lawmakers introduced a grossly irresponsible property tax bill, providing residents with minimal relief and potentially harming those most in need. If the homeowner’s exemption had not been capped at $100,000 by Republicans in 2016, it would be worth $150,000 in the current year, according to the Idaho State Tax Commission. “To …

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May 3, 2021

Senate Democratic Caucus Urges the Defeat of HB 380

This week, the Senate will likely vote on House Bill 380, legislation that slashes income tax rates with the benefits flowing overwhelmingly to those at the top of the income spectrum.  Sen. Ali Rabe, who argued against it in the Senate Local Government and Taxation Committee, said the bill makes sweeping changes that are neither fair to working Idahoans nor …

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March 19, 2021

Senate Narrowly Kills GOP-Sponsored Bill to Cap Local Government Budgets

The Senate narrowly killed S1108 in a 17-18 vote Thursday.  The GOP-sponsored legislation sought to cap local governments’ budgets in an effort to lower property taxes for residents. However, opponents of the bill, which included all seven Democrats, said it provided minimal relief at great expense to cities and counties, forcing cuts to vital services, such as police, paramedics and …

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