If you own a home and you've already done your state taxes, you might want to look into
getting a form to file an amended return… you may be able to subtract more from the
the amount of income the state taxed you on this year.
Over the last few weeks, we amended a House bill one way and
then back the other way in an attempt to decide what was better for tax
payers. We call it "going to the 14th order" here in the Senate when we
amend a bill. Senator Hill as chairman of the Senate tax committee
patiently spoke first for and then against letting more people NOT pay
income taxes on the money they spend on property taxes.
Obviously
this is good for modest income homeowners who might not be able to deduct a
bunch of charitable donations on top of big mortgage interest, medical
bills and the like. What it does though is take $2 million out of
budgets that will mean deeper cuts in state employee pay, lost jobs or
larger class sizes in schools or college classrooms.
Not a fun
choice for any of us to make. As a property tax payer who does not have
enough spending to itemize, I might have benefited from a yes vote. As
a member of the budget committee who has watched the knives fall into
place, slicing through parts of state budgets that Idahoans depend on
for jobs and medical care… I was one of ten Democrats and Republicans who couldn't vote yes.
I'm still torn. Most the time it is clear as the desk in front of you, on occasion though some people gain while others clearly lose. But as you sit there on the Senate floor and the Senate secretary calls your name, you have to choose one word: yes or no.