From the Executive Director: Week of January 9, 2023

Legislature Convenes with a Focus on Property Taxes

As the 67th Idaho Legislature convenes in Boise, property tax relief will quickly come into focus. Some legislators, like Representative Bruce Skaug (Dist. 10, Canyon and Ada Counties) and Senator Scott Grow (Dist. 14, Ada and Gem Counties) have been working with county officials on solutions to provide real property tax relief. Representative Skaug has drafted a bill which increases the homestead exemption from $125,000 to $225,000 and reinstates the annual index which was removed by the legislature in 2016. Senator Grow’s proposal would establish a property tax reduction program for all homeowners receiving the homestead exemption. The estimated property tax relief proposed by Senator Grow is $120 million.

All this will occur under the watch of two new tax committee chairs: Representative Jason Monks (Dist. 22, Ada County) and Senator Doug Ricks (Dist. 34, Madison County). Along with new chairs come new members. Nine of the 11 members of the Senator Local Government and Taxation Committee will be new to the committee, while eight of the 16 members of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee will be new to the committee. Perhaps the biggest change to the tax committees will be who isn’t on the committee: Speaker Mike Moyle. Prior to being elected Speaker of the House, Representative Mike Moyle (Dist. 10, Canyon and Ada Counties), was a fixture on the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. 2023 will mark the first time in two decades that Representative Moyle will not be on the committee.

Because property tax reform will be a priority for the 67th Idaho Legislature, it is critical that county officials work closely with their legislators to educate them on property tax administration, from assessments, to budgets, to tax shifts. IAC will release a number of resources at our Midwinter Legislative Conference, including briefing documents on Idaho’s property tax system and research on current and prior year property tax data. IAC staff will also leverage the weekly IAC Legislative Bulletin to provide additional news, analysis, and materials to assist in working with the legislature to find solutions to important issues facing counties.