Your Guide To Idaho's Tax Exemptions

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About 75 specific goods, uses and entities aren’t subject to Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax.

Some of the sales tax exemptions include commercial aircraft, ski lifts and snow-grooming equipment, school lunches and broadcast equipment and supplies. The state Tax Commission estimates it’s the exemption on equipment that is most frequently used.

When it comes to specific goods that aren’t taxed, that list includes things like motor fuels, used mobile homes, funeral caskets, nonprofit literature and vending machines.

The state also doesn’t levy a sales tax on service industries (construction, business services, social services). You can find the full list here.

In 2007 lawmakers created an interim committee to examine the effectiveness of Idaho’s tax exemptions, deductions and credits. The panel recommended several changes to the full Legislature including, eliminating exemptions on chairlifts, caskets and auto rebates. Most of those were rejected.

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June 12, 2013

Report Encourages Idaho Lawmakers To Consider All Factors When Making Tax Policy Changes

Idaho lawmakers have a new tool available to guide them in making tax policy decisions. The Legislature’s Office of Performance Evaluations presented a 38-page report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee this morning. The study, a Guide to Comparing Business Tax Policies, was requested by the 2012 Legislature. The report focuses on a couple of […]

April 4, 2013

Idaho Legislature Approves $20.7 Million In Tax Cuts

The Idaho Legislature will go home today having approved nearly $20.7 million in tax cuts. That’s a fraction, less than one percent, of the state’s general fund budget. Far and away the largest share of that cut is the $20 million approved to offset the effect of partially repealing Idaho’s business personal property tax. The […]

March 19, 2013

Girl Scout Cookie Tax Break Passes Idaho House, Could Face Uphill Battle In The Senate

A sales tax exemption for Girl Scout cookies sold in Idaho will advance to the upper chamber after lawmakers in the House approved the measure 59-11. The Spokesman-Review’s Betsy Russell reports the bill passed without debate. Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states that tax the sale of Girl Scout cookies. In Idaho, 22 […]

March 11, 2013

Idaho Girl Scout Cookie Tax Exemption Clears Its First Hurdle

Girl Scout cookies sold in Idaho are one step closer to being tax-free. The House Revenue and Tax Committee unanimously agreed to send the new tax exemption proposal on for a vote in the full House. Idaho Girl Scouts sell an estimated $2.5 million worth of their famed cookies each year, resulting in $140,000 in […]

February 19, 2013

With $140,000 On The Line, Idaho Girl Scouts Try Their Hand At Lobbying

Famous for its potatoes, trout fishing, and blue AstroTurf, Idaho might not have much in common with Hawaii. But here’s one thing: Idaho and Hawaii are the only two states in the country to tax Girl Scout Cookies. Now, some local Scouts are beefing up their sales pitches and learning to lobby.

February 12, 2013

A Sales Tax Exemption For Anti-Abortion Resource Clinics Passes The Idaho House

A bill that would give a sales tax exemption to pregnancy resource clinics that don’t offer abortion services has passed the House. In a 58-12 vote, Idaho lawmakers approved Rep. Kelley Packer’s (R-McCammon) proposal. Packer introduced the bill on behalf of Boise’s Stanton Healthcare, after the organization purchased two ultrasound machines and were charged a […]

February 7, 2013

Girl Scout Cookies Sold In Idaho? There’s A Tax On That

For cookie connoisseurs, this might be the best time of year. It’s Girl Scout cookie season. Starting next week, Idaho Girl Scouts will be canvassing neighborhoods and their parents’ offices to take orders for boxes of Thin Mints, Samoas, and all the rest. Each box sells for $3.75, and 22 cents of that goes to […]

February 1, 2013

Pregnancy Resource Clinics Ask For Idaho Sales Tax Exemption

Requests for new sales tax exemptions have started to surface at the Legislature. The latest would exempt pregnancy resource clinics from sales tax. That means any purchase made by one of the non-profit clinics, wouldn’t be subject to Idaho’s 6 percent sales tax. There is one catch, though. The pregnancy resource clinics must not provide […]

December 6, 2012

At 90, Idaho Rep. Frank Henderson Isn’t Ready To Retire

The 2013 Idaho Legislature is in town today for it’s biennial organizational session. This is when lawmakers confirm their leaders and prep for the session which begins next month. Today also happens to be Rep. Frank Henderson’s (R-Post Falls) 90th birthday. Henderson, born in 1922, was a soldier in World War II and a reporter […]

December 4, 2012

What We’re Reading: The New York Times Series ‘United States Of Subsidies’

Over the weekend, The New York Times started rolling out its in-depth, national look at how states are enticing business to their region through tax breaks, exemptions and subsidies. The series includes three lengthy articles plus subsidy data on all 50 states. How Taxpayers Bankroll Business — “A Times investigation has examined and tallied thousands […]

Your Guide To Idaho's Tax Exemptions

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May 2, 2012