State Government
Legislator Wants Tax On Tax
November 16, 2009 
A state rep from Moscow is floating a 5% “surcharge on Idaho taxes” to keep certain state services afloat. You can post here as we know they read the GUARDIAN at the state level too.
For starters, we explained to a staffer a couple weeks ago that those of us who are making 50% less than last year are in essence paying 50% MORE in taxes if the government keeps tax dollars at the same level.
If you pay $10 in taxes on $1,000 of earnings and the earnings go down to $500, if tax doesn’t go down by half, your RATE doubles. We have some tough times ahead.
FROM POET PAUL–
Politicos want to save on behalf of the state
And we can help determine our fate
We could scrub the next session
For there’s nothing so pressin’
That it needs immediate debate!
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Nov 16, 2009, 5:25 pm
He’s going to have to give more detail for people to be able to make intelligent comments.
Nov 16, 2009, 5:26 pm
I am more concerned with how we pay our taxes than with how much we pay in taxes. The government (whether it be federal, state or local) should ONLY be able to tax income. I oppose sales taxes, value added taxes, local option sales taxes, property taxes, personal property taxes, luxury taxes, or any other kind of tax other than on income. Inheritance should be considered income to the person receiving the inheritance and it should be taxed as ordinary income. Dividends and capital gains are, of course, income.
If the government wants to charge a fee for issuing drivers licenses, for instance, that fee should not be more than the cost to issue the license (in other words they should break even on that deal, rather than making extra money and applying it to some other purpose).
Nov 16, 2009, 6:24 pm
I am resigned to believing that state and local governments across this nation, including in Idaho, are going to suffer mightily. They have grown way too big, and no one, including Idaho’s Republican governance, talks about shrinking government. The days of paying for growth via finance equation schemes have been exposed and are probably over, at least for a few more years.
Nov 16, 2009, 7:16 pm
I am making less money. I have less money to live on.
I have less money to give to the government and be able to eat, pay my bills, drive to work. Had to let the health insurance go. I’d like to sell the house, but the market is too bad (no matter what the statesman is told to write.)
Tighten up Butch. Take a pay cut. Look at the fat not the services which help the people.
Let the government either live within their budget or start collecting it from those who can afford to pay. Who would that be Butch? Just who is not hurting right now?
No, I am not willing to pay more because I don’t have it to pay.
Nov 16, 2009, 8:02 pm
When times are good and there is lots of overtime coupled with a generous Christmas bonus, some are thinking about that new boat or ATV. Maybe that cruise that the wife has wanted. In those times, if the government wants a bigger slice, we might bitch and moan but, Oh,well! Now, what color did we like for that boat? Well, those times have taken a hike. There is no extra money! We need it all just to get by! I have a sneaky feeling that 3-4 private citizens could walk into any state agency and find more than enough cuts due to waste in about 48 hours! “The amount of time and money required to do a job, will expand to the time and money alloted to do the job!” (man, I wish I would have said that first)
Nov 16, 2009, 9:26 pm
Time to slaughter some sacred cows. Eveyone I know is doing with less and having to figure out how to make ends meet.
This surcharge stuff reminds me of the Vietnam War federal tax surcharge when LBJ was in office. I was already in the Navy making $175/month and had to pay a surcharge on my federal taxes!
I remember in the 1980’s when John Evans declared some kind of emergency to save public education. We had over 10% unemployment and still got socked with higher taxes.
I remember Mr. Risch calling a special session of the State Legislature to raise the sales tax to 6% to help lower property taxes. Mine went up!
If I have to pay a surcharge on my Idaho State Taxes this year it better be to keep someone from starving to death and not some bureaucratic sacred cow.
Let’s all hope the legislature is in no mood to raise taxes and they have a short session They could start with “budget 101” and get all members on the same page right out of the gate in January and not wait until the waning hours to pass a budget.
Nov 16, 2009, 11:08 pm
Thank you Cyclops,
How about the State Guvmint, fire the lazy workers and contract all state work to Halliburton or Blackwater. Those guys know haow to get a job done right. What we need is the FREE market runnin our government. Get rid of socialisim in government. Corporations are what made America great, not government.
Nov 16, 2009, 11:46 pm
cyclops, if it were only the boat (which i never could buy) or the ATV. It is now living in a home or in a car…. for some folks.
Nov 17, 2009, 7:19 am
Couldn’t disagree with Rod any more. Tax should not be levied on anything but sales. Everything else is punitive to achievement.
Nov 17, 2009, 8:40 am
Dave, we already have a tax on tax, albeit one that can be avoided.
The state charges a liquor tax and also a beer and wine tax. Then they also charge you sales tax. You are paying sales tax on the liquor tax and you’re paying sales tax on the beer and wine tax.
Pretty sneaky but hey, it’s all for a good cause no?
Nov 17, 2009, 3:14 pm
This is a poor plan proposed by a Democrat. The poor and middle class are already taxed heavily. Give them a chance to climb out of the recession instead of forever dooming them to financial disaster. Those who will not receive cost of living adjustments, including the military I’ve heard, cannot continue to pay more with less. Trim non-essential services, i.e. luncheons, trips, some training, some memberships, etc. Do not support this surcharge on income taxes! Many Idahoans cannot even pay their income taxes due to unemployment, age bias, economic setbacks, etc. What are lawmakers willing to give up? Will they give up their healthcare plans, their pensions, their homes, everything they’ve worked for their whole lives? We will never rise above current circumstances unless our leaders “think” these kinds of plans through in real math-real time terms.
The legislator is Rep. Shirley Ringo, D-Moscow.
Nov 17, 2009, 4:46 pm
No government people ever seem to do the math:
Raise the sales tax, more of our money goes to the tax, so we have less to spend on stuff, so we buy less stuff, so we pay less sales tax. Raise the property tax, some people lose their homes and other property, so now they’re not paying any property tax, hence less income for the state. Higher income tax? Less money to spend and pay taxes on and with.
Business hurting? Lay off some people; now those people have no money and aren’t shopping, so the places they used to shop have fewer customers, less income, so they lay off more people or go broke and close down. Either way, that means fewer people shopping and buying …. and on and on.
And then they wonder why the economy isn’t picking up rapidly.
Nov 17, 2009, 8:45 pm
An income tax surcharge can be worded so as to add that surcharge only to those with, for instance, net taxable income greater than $250,000 (or any other number you care to choose).
Kappa TA said: “The poor and middle class are already taxed heavily.” He (or she) is correct, and let me add that the tax burden needs to be shifted more to the rich, who do not, IMO, pay their fair share.
Nov 17, 2009, 9:30 pm
KTA it has gone way beyond skipping an occasional lunch, or that seminar in Las Vegas. Each and every state agency must justify their very existance. Supervisors that are actually in the trenches doing the work rather than sitting back and reading a report. From the Governor’s office to the Maintainance department. Across the board!!!!
Nov 18, 2009, 5:09 pm
tax us more and the Idaho economy that sucks now will just get worse.
Nov 19, 2009, 12:14 am
Good news, maybe. The Governor has ruled out a surcharge on income taxes for those making more than $50,000 yearly. He and his budget minions are talking more departmental/agency cuts, including “superfluous” travel, memberships, etc. I’d like to think he’s reading us or at least catching our intelligent vibes!
Nov 19, 2009, 4:53 am
How about an extra tax on law makers
Nov 21, 2009, 9:04 pm
I’d gladly pay an extra tax if I net $250,000.00 on my income. Bring it on.