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Sales‑tax earmarks shrink Idaho general fund’s share; staff warns of larger cuts in future downturns
Summary
Budget staff outlined how statutory sales‑tax distributions and new earmarks have reduced the share available to Idaho’s general fund from historic levels, increasing the potential need for deeper cuts during a revenue downturn.
Keith Bybee, division manager of budget policy analysis, presented new charts showing how statutory earmarks and distribution formulas reduce the portion of gross sales tax that reaches the general fund.
"You can count on sales tax to help you through the recession," Bybee said, but he warned the legislature has rerouted a growing portion of sales‑tax receipts to other statutory uses, reducing the percentage available for general‑fund appropriation.
Bybee showed historical comparisons indicating the general fund’s share of sales tax receipts declined from roughly 85% during the Great Recession era to about 65% in the fiscal‑year‑2025 projection after accounting for revenue…
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