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Tax commission seeks continued FAST maintenance, vehicle and IT funding after strong ROI from new collection system
Summary
The Idaho State Tax Commission told JFAC it needs ongoing funding for FAST maintenance and requested replacement vehicles and IT hardware; commission leaders said FAST has already exceeded collection return projections.
The Idaho State Tax Commission presented its fiscal requests to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 18, seeking continued funding for maintenance of the FAST tax-management system, replacement vehicles used in collection and enforcement, and information-technology hardware.
Chairman Jeff McCray and legislative analyst Christopher LaHozet described a range of enhancement requests that would increase the commission’s FY26 appropriation by about $1.14 million if all items were approved. LaHozet summarized the requests as including ongoing contract-inflation/maintenance funding for FAST, vehicle replacements (including one light-duty truck used by compliance teams to transport seized property), and ITS security and infrastructure investments.
Why it matters: The commission emphasized that FAST is mission-critical. McCray told the committee the vendor project came in on time and the system has exceeded collection expectations: “Since that time we've collected $34,287,416 so far,” he said, and the commission reverted $309,948 to the general fund at the close of FY24. McCray said the collection returns exceeded the ROI projected when the agency implemented FAST.
On vehicles and hardware, LaHozet noted the commission provided a detailed breakout in the committee’s SharePoint, including mileage and justification for nine replacement vehicles and one light-duty truck used by compliance staff to seize and transport property that is later sold to offset unpaid taxes. The ITS request included laptops, monitors, switches and servers; LaHozet said the commission has moved its IT staff into a central Technology and Innovation Bureau.
Committee members questioned contract-inflation increases for FAST maintenance and whether components might be eligible for centralized SWICAP or other statewide support. McCray explained FAST is specific to the tax commission and continues to require vendor licensing, development work tied to legislative changes and ongoing security and enhancement work.
Ending: The commission requested ongoing and one-time funding to preserve system security and field capability as it implements new responsibilities. Committee members asked for the commission’s ROI documentation and vehicle/hardware detail; the commission agreed to provide the requested materials for committee review.
