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Dems to put 2/3 vote back on Legislature
This morning the House Revenue and Taxation Committee approved a proposed Constitutional amendment that would require a 2/3 vote on any local option taxing district. The bill passed that committee on a party-line vote with Republicans supporting it and Democrats opposed.
In response to the bill, Sen. Diane Bilyeu, a Pocatello Democrat, is working on proposal that would write into the Constitution a required 2/3 Legislative vote to approve any future tax exemptions. This bill has not been drafted and Senate Democrats, who discussed the idea in a public caucus session Thursday, do not expect it to go far this session.
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Sen. Bilyeu gets it. She is right on. It is wrong for legislators to give away huge chunks of our tax base by a simple majority vote and then impose delays and new obstacles on our local communities before we can support a local options. We taxpayers ought to have the opportunity to vote on all tax breaks - including those already on the books.
If two third vote is necessary to protect us from ourselves, it certainly is necessary to protect us from the special interests who get the tax breaks.
If we don’t approve them then the rate should go down. For example, studies reveal that if all sales sales tax exemptions are removed we will raise sufficient revenue with a 3% sales tax rather than 6% the legislature has imposed. Or we could go down to about 4 1/2 cents and take the sales tax off of food entirely.