Last April, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter and and representatives of 15 Idaho companies traveled to China hoping to develop trade relationships
The trade mission targets countries where Idaho companies hope to maintain or forge partnerships, said Megan Ronk, Department of Commerce spokeswoman.
“We didn’t randomly establish where to go,” Ronk said. “Businesses give their input about key markets where there are strategic opportunities and where some support from the governor could make a difference.” Continue Reading →
Emilie Ritter Saunders / StateImpact
Did you remember to include the use tax on your Idaho income tax form? Judging by the numbers, probably not. Idaho is one of 45 states that collects a use tax. But as NPR’s Planet Money reports, the vast majority of taxpayers don’t pay it.
There is one mistake, in particular, that lots of people made: They bought tax-free things online or in another state — and they failed to pay tax on their purchase in their home state.
It’s called a use tax. As far as I can tell, accountants and tax lawyers are some of the only people who pay it.
Forty-five states have a use tax. About 1.6 percent of the taxpayers in those 45 states actually pay the use tax. – NPR
In Idaho, that share of taxpayers is even less. According to the Idaho Tax Commission, just 1.36 percent of Idaho taxpayers paid the use tax last year. Continue Reading →
The Idaho Legislature adjourned for the year in better financial shape than most states, projecting a $60 million surplus in the fiscal year ending June 30. For fiscal 2014, the state expects to have a $51 million surplus in a $2.8 billion general fund budget, according to the Legislature’s budget office.
Meanwhile, 30 states faced a combined shortfall of $40 billion in fiscal 2013 and two-thirds will be a combined $25 billion short in 2014, according to the April 12 edition of the subscription-only Kiplinger Letter.
Read more at: blogs.idahostatesman.com
Boise Metro Chamber / Flickr Creative Commons
Boise's U.S. Bank building (left) is a fixture of the downtown skyline.
U.S. Bank executives and shareholders are en-route to Boise for their annual meeting. The Minneapolis-based bank’s shareholders are scheduled to gather on Boise State University’s campus at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday.
The Nation writes the big bank moved its meeting some 1,400 miles west this year in part to avoid protesters and groups opposed to the bank’s policies.
[Last year] The event was dominated by shareholders and proxies who are members of Minnesotans for a Fair Economy, an alliance of community, faith and labor organizations working for a more equitable economy. Continue Reading →
There’s no dispute over whether two Boise-based health care organizations serve a worthwhile purpose for local patients, including people who could not afford to go elsewhere for medical care.
But there is a dispute over whether those organizations owe the state more than $400,000 in taxes, because they – unlike the nonprofits that created them – are not tax-exempt entities.
Read more at: www.idahostatesman.com
A new national study shows Idaho is again ranked among states with the lowest percentage of companies that offer workers employer-sponsored health insurance.
Idaho ranks 4th nationally — trailing Alaska, Montana and Wyoming — with just 43 percent of the state’s employers providing workers insurance.
Read more at: hosted2.ap.org
More people moved to Idaho last year than left the Gem State. Still, driver's license data show more than 29,000 gave up their Idaho license in 2012. It's a real-time clue as to where Idahoans are going. We put that information on a map... Continue reading →
Idaho is on its way to building and operating a state-based health insurance exchange. The Legislature signed off on the state-run online insurance marketplace last month. Now, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has selected the 19-member board which will “set the rules and regulations for implementing” the exchange.
Here’s the list from the governor’s office: Continue Reading →
Have you noticed more California drivers on Idaho's roads? Ok, maybe that's feeding an unfair stereotype, but data show more Californians surrendered their driver's license for an Idaho card than any other state last year. It's a clue into who is moving to the Gem State. We put that data on a map... Continue reading →
Except for a plan to live in his truck this summer, Brandon Prince is like many other 20- and 30-something Idahoans. He plays hard in the Idaho outdoors. He moved to Boise after college.
And like many of his peers, he’s overwhelmed by debt, though not from a maxed-out credit card or a high-interest car loan. Prince owes more than $80,000 combined to student lenders and to St. Luke’s Health System, for a culinary degree and an emergency hospital visit.
Prince, 35, is an example of what the rising costs of education and health care can lead to in a state where wages are stagnant and the percentage of workers covered by health insurance is falling.
Read more at: www.idahostatesman.com
