Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Staff warns sales tax earmarks have cut share available to Idaho general fund, raising budget‑flexibility concerns
Summary
Budget staff reviewed sales tax distribution formulas, noting growth in earmarks (tax relief fund, Techum, school modernization) has reduced the percentage of sales tax flowing to the general fund and could magnify cuts during a recession.
Budget Policy Division Manager Keith Bybee and staff briefed the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on sales tax distributions and the effect of statutory earmarks on the general fund.
Bybee walked through a multi‑page table in the legislative budget book showing gross sales tax collections, the tranfers out (refunds and the online sales tax transfer to the tax relief fund), and the statutory distribution formula found in Idaho Code §63‑36. He noted total sales tax collections have grown, but statutory distributions to programs and local governments have reduced the share flowing to the general fund. "Going into the Great Recession on the far left hand side…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
