‘Needs to be simple’ not a ‘hodgepodge’: Idaho Gov. Little vetoes property tax bill

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little vetoed a major property tax bill on Monday, calling on the Idaho Legislature to bring him a new bill and get the property tax issue right.

Little vetoed House Bill 292 after expressing several concerns about elements of the bill unrelated to property tax reduction.

Little opposed a section of the bill that would eliminate the March election date local school districts use for bond issues and levy elections. Little also said the bill jeopardizes funding for transportation initiatives.

“Let’s get property tax relief done right this session,” Little said in a written statement announcing the veto. “The simplest solutions are usually the best solutions, and I believe we can extract the property tax portions of House Bill 292 and deliver a true property tax relief bill this session. A property tax relief bill this session needs to be simple and carried out in a way that does not harm public schools, does not hold up needed transportation projects, and does not reveal more unintended consequences. The people of Idaho deserve simple property tax relief that will endure over time!”

Property tax reduction was a top priority Idahoans identified in a recent Boise State University public policy survey and the issue has been a major focal point during the

“Idaho stands apart from every other state because we focus on making taxes fair, simple, predictable, and competitive,” Little added. “House Bill 292 is not a simple bill. House Bill 292 is a hodgepodge of policy items intermingled with property tax relief.”