Emilie Ritter Saunders was StateImpact Idaho's multimedia reporter until the project merged with the Boise State Public Radio site in July 2013. She previously worked as the Capitol Bureau Chief for Montana Public Radio and was a Senior Fellow with NPR's Economic Training Project from 2009 until 2010. She graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2007.
Idaho state revenue collections are up for the fourth month in a row.
The Division of Financial Management reports March tax collections exceeded expectations by almost $4 million, even though a large number of tax refunds are going out the door this time of year.
That $4 million is 11 percent of the total revenue collected for the month of March.
The Division of Financial Management’s report indicates the economy is doing better than state analysts predicted.
“The major contributors to this month’s excess were the sales and individual income taxes. Sales tax collections of $75.5 million were $4.4 million ahead of the forecast of $71.1 million. The individual income tax topped its forecast by $3.4 million, $40.4 million versus $37.0 million.” – DFM
Corporate income tax collections fell just short of projections.
Rural Idaho counties are becoming, well, rural-er.
New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show populations continue to decline in rural parts of the state.
Molly Messick / StateImpact Idaho
Fairfield, Idaho
Census numbers released this week look at population movement between 2010 and 2011. According to the Idaho Department of Labor’s analysis, more counties lost population over that year than at any other time since the 1980s. Continue Reading →
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter sent out this tweet earlier today:
He’s signed House Bill 563, which lowers the top corporate and individual income tax rates from 7.6 and 7.8 percent respectively, to 7.4 percent.
The Associated Press has reported a family of four in the top tax bracket, with a gross income of $100,000, will see their annual tax bill go down by $71. The Division of Financial Management says the cut will affect about 17 percent of Idaho taxpayers.
Rep. Brian Cronin (D-Boise) introducing the 2012 IJOBS package at a press conference on Jan. 31, 2012.
Democrats in the Idaho Legislature again offered a slate of bills they said would boost economic growth and add jobs to the economy.
They dubbed it ‘IJOBS’, and it’s not the first time they’ve attempted to get similar measures through. Democrats introduced the first round of IJOBS bills back in 2010. They all failed.
This year, Democratic lawmakers seemed more hopeful IJOBS 2.0 would go somewhere. But again, all six proposals failed.
Until now, Idaho's 6 percent sales tax applied to free samples of beer, wine and other beverages.
Free samples of beer and wine are now tax-free. So are parts for some airplanes that are worked on in Idaho.
Lawmakers expanded and added new tax exemptions during the 2012 session, adding to a growing list (exemptions start on page 41).
Lets start with the new.
Through House Bill 417, airplane parts installed into private, out-of-state planes are now tax exempt. The measure sailed through both chambers of the Legislature mostly unopposed. The stated goal of the bill is to give one particular company, Western Aircraft, a break. Continue Reading →
The Idaho Legislature put its stamp of approval on 342 bills this year, more than half of the measures introduced, according to legislative services.
As of today, Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has signeda fraction of them, 182. The session ended last Thursday. That means Otter has ten days to sign or veto bills he received post-session. After that they automatically become law without his signature. The governor has five days to sign or veto if he received the bill when the Legislature was still in session.
StateImpact Idaho recently had it’s six-month anniversary in the Gem State. Since we’ve launched we’ve covered taxes, unemployment, the housing market and the bits and pieces in between.
So, what have we missed? What are your burning questions about Idaho’s economy and state government policy?
The Legislature’s main duty is to create a budget that spends less than it takes in. Lawmakers did.
They also agreed to a more than $35 million tax cut for Idaho’s top earners. They’re setting aside about $35 million for the state’s general fund reserves, and they agreed to an almost $35 million pay increase for teachers.
But a handful of other spending/tax measures didn’t pass: Continue Reading →
The Idaho Dairymen's Association says there are 569 dairies operating in the Gem State.
For the first time in almost two years, Idaho dairymen are eligible for a federal subsidy that compensates them when milk prices fall substantially below the costs of production.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week it has reinstated payments to dairymen under the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program. It’s the first time the USDA has approved such payments since April 2010.
Farm Service Agency Administrator Bruce Nelson said producers are eligible for almost $0.39 per hundredweight (cwt) of milk. “Dairy producers are affected by the market price for milk and the price of feed to sustain their herds,” said Nelson, in a press release this week. Continue Reading →
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