BOISE, ID – A revised property tax reduction bill surfaced Friday in the Idaho Legislature.
The new bill, House Bill 304, is a revised version of House Bill 74, a property tax bill that the Idaho Legislature introduced on Jan. 28.
Both bills would spend $50 million for a fund to build or renovate public school district facilities and another $50 million for the state’s homeowners property tax relief fund.
The main difference between the two bills is that under the first bill the $50 million for the homeowners property tax relief fund was a one-time transfer. Under the new bill, the funding for school district facilities and the homeowners property tax relief fund would be ongoing every year.
On Friday, the Idaho Legislature’s House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted to hold the old House Bill 74 in committee and then recommended sending the new House Bill 304 straight to the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives.
House Majority Leader Jason Monks, R- Meridian, co-sponsored and presented the new bill Friday.
“I believe property taxes is one of those important issues that our constituents have demanded that we address, and I think this is a fair way of addressing it,” Monks said.
How would the new property tax reduction bill affect the state’s general fund?
To provide money for school facilities and the homeowners property tax relief fund, the bill shifts money generated from the sales tax, which otherwise would have gone to the state’s general fund. The bill reduces the general fund by $100 million every year, money that otherwise would be available to fund government programs such as public schools, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare services, state parks or fighting wildfires on state lands.
Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise, voted to introduce the new property tax bill but expressed concern with continuing to direct sales tax revenue away from the general fund.
This year, a series of tax cut proposals and a bill that would allow Idaho families to receive a refundable tax credit from the state for expenses including tuition at private and religious schools would reduce the general fund by more than $453 million if all of those bills pass.
“That money is coming out of the bucket that funds public education and vital services and other activities of the state,” Berch said. “And my concern is that we need to step back and look at a bigger picture here.”
Berch voted to introduce the new bill because he said high property taxes is one of the main concerns he hears from his constituents.
House Bill 304 was sent to the House floor Friday morning and could come up for a vote in the Idaho House as early as Monday morning.
If a majority of members of the Idaho House vote to pass the bill, it would be sent to the Idaho Senate for consideration.
