Comments on: The exciting Topic Of Taxes!

By: Easterner

Easterner — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:49:24 +0000

You pay it, they will spend it.

Oregon has a “kicker rebate check”- when tax revenues exceed needs, the excess gets returned to the taxpayers.

This would be good for local budgets- made up mostly a variable revenue streams- when sales are good (sales tax) increases and the excess flows to the cities. Cities, will automatically spend that money on something (new cars even though they don’t need them) so they can increase their budgets in the following years…. increased budgets usually mean increase salary for the budget-makers too.

So if a city receives more than requested in a budget, the excess should be returned.
Not likely to happen in Boise.

By: Casmir

Casmir — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:37:04 +0000

It’s a moral issue. It’s wrong to give certain people in society, the ability to rob people at will – and on a purely arbitrary basis. Why should citizens of Idaho pay more, just because out of state interests come in and bid up property values? Even Cecil Andrus deemed the property tax as the most “onerous” tax. Additionally, the property tax boils down to State ownership of all property – a citizen never has free and clear title to their home, or land. It is long past time for the property tax to be retired as a method of raising revenue for Government.

By: Clancy

Clancy — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 16:28:47 +0000

Looks like the Clawback is only good for one year according to 63-802

(e) In the case of a nonschool district for which less than the maximum allowable increase in the dollar amount of property taxes is certified for annual budget purposes in any one (1) year, such a district may, in any following year, recover the foregone increase by certifying, in addition to any increase otherwise allowed, an amount not to exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the increase originally foregone. Said additional amount shall be included in future calculations for increases as allowed;

EDITOR NOTE–Clancy, we checked with the Idaho Tax Commission and they say the “forgone funds” were established by law in 1995 and local governments can go back that far to reclaim the taxing authority that was “forgone.” In other words, it is an open ended account–not real money, just “taxing authority.”

By: chicago sam

chicago sam — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:33:36 +0000

If you look at total budgets and not just the funds which are paid by property taxes most taxing districts locally have increased their take from the public substantially. Water, sewer,and sanitation lead the list and while much of the increase can be explained away by federal and EPA mandates if you look closely the cities have discovered that transfers out of these funds to the general fund is a clever way to disguise the increasing cost of govt. The Legislature needs to put some teeth into discouraging these illegal transfers.
The city of Nampa for instance has a 15% fee (tax) on garbage bills which is syphoned off to the street fund this year but in the past has gone into the general fund. All cities I have checked on do the same thing with different %s.

By: Murphy

Murphy — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:27:57 +0000

When RE taxes aren’t enough to meet their spending desires they will institute the second option. They will raise fees which have no statutory limitations.

By: Grumpy ole Guy

Grumpy ole Guy — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:27:06 +0000

I had thought that there was a limit to the number of years of “foregone” taxes which could be claimed. Do I misremember, or am I wrong?

EDITOR NOTE–Grumpy, one county official said there was no limit, but it just doesn’t sound right. I have a call in to the state tax commission for clarification. “Clawback” is such a great term!

By: Zippo

Zippo — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 02:01:28 +0000

Dude, I told you this when you were tooting your horn for these new guys. Former cops are about pay and bennies! Government firsters! Oh man they say, look look haw much cheaper we are than California… we gotta catch up or we won’t be able to recruit the most expensive, er, I mean best, employees.

Don’t you worry, people too stupid these days to even notice the increase. They busy watchn Bruce change into his skirt on reality TV.