{"id":6949,"date":"2012-05-02T12:00:57","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T18:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=6949"},"modified":"2013-07-18T14:18:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T20:18:00","slug":"do-business-incentives-create-jobs-idaho-is-one-of-13-states-in-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/05\/02\/do-business-incentives-create-jobs-idaho-is-one-of-13-states-in-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Business Incentives Create Jobs? Idaho Is One Of 13 States In The Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emilie Ritter Saunders \/ StateImpact Idaho<\/p>

Idaho State Capitol in downtown Boise.<\/p><\/div>\n

The state of Idaho will give up an estimated $845 million<\/a> this year in the form of tax credits and exemptions.\u00a0 And only a select few at the Idaho Tax Commission<\/a> know exactly where that money goes.<\/p>\n

Idaho’s law is pretty clear<\/a>, individual and business tax information is confidential.\u00a0 Tax returns, specifically, are confidential under federal law<\/a>.\u00a0 But some states have set up reporting requirements for businesses to disclose which state-specific incentives they’re using (think tax credits and exemptions), and how much those are worth.\u00a0 Idaho isn’t one of those states.<\/p>\n

“We’re not advocating the disclosure of tax returns,” says Greg LeRoy, the executive director of the non-partisan organization Good Jobs First.\u00a0 “This is about saying, if you claim a corporate income tax credit on line 39C of your Idaho tax return, it’s no different than if the state wrote you a check.”<\/p>\n

LeRoy has been an advocate for open government and tax incentive transparency for more than two decades.\u00a0 “None of it should be hidden from taxpayers view,” LeRoy says.\u00a0 “There is really a business fairness issue here, because there is a burden shift going on, when companies do get these credits, people should have a right to see who is getting them, how much they’re worth and what kind of bang for the buck the taxpayers are getting in terms of job creation and wages and all that good stuff.”<\/p>\n

If the state<\/del> gives up an estimated $845 million in revenue this year, it’s assumed someone else is <\/del>on the hook for that foregone revenue.\u00a0 “Everyone else has to pay higher taxes or everybody else gets lousier public services because the state is giving up that revenue — or a little bit of both,” says LeRoy.<\/p>\n

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