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Idaho Tax Commission seeks IT, vehicle replacements; FAST collections project reported to exceed ROI
Summary
The Idaho State Tax Commission presented FY2026 requests including ITS hardware replacements and vehicle replenishments, defended ongoing FAST maintenance costs and reported the FAST collections implementation had exceeded projected ROI.
The Idaho State Tax Commission presented its FY2026 budget requests to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 18, outlining IT and vehicle requests, ongoing FAST (tax-management) support costs and the results of a recent FAST-enabled collections project.
Commission requests
Analyst Christopher LaHozet described four enhancement requests totaling approximately $1.14 million if approved: ongoing operating funds for a five-year lease to process certified mail on campus; a commissioner compensation adjustment request based on the governor’s 5% recommendation (which requires separate legislation to be enacted); one-time funding for vehicle replacements including one light-duty truck and nine other vehicles; and ITS security and infrastructure investments including 171 laptops, 392 monitors, network switches and servers.
LaHozet explained that the light-duty trucks are used by the compliance program to seize and transport equipment (cars, trailers, ATVs) that can be auctioned to offset taxes owed.
FAST maintenance and ROI
Committee members questioned recurring increases in FAST maintenance and support costs. Chairman Jeff McCray, who leads the commission, said FAST is a stand-alone system whose licensing, security and development work — including adjustments for legislative changes such as House Bill 445 last year — account for ongoing costs. He also said the commission’s FAST-driven collections work has exceeded projected returns: McCray said the project came in under budget and that the commission reverted about $309,948 of the project budget to the general fund; collections attributable to the effort were reported at $34,287,416 so far.
"By approving FAST collection services we've far exceeded our collection goals and we're able to revert $309,948 from this line item at the close of FY24," McCray said.
Vehicles and IT
LaHozet said LaHozet included a complete breakout of vehicle mileages, models and rationale in the committee's SharePoint materials; he also provided a line-item ITS inventory for the 171 laptops and other hardware requested.
Next steps
The commission's requests and the FAST maintenance costs were presented for committee consideration; no votes were taken during the hearing. Committee members asked for further documentation and an ROI report and the commission agreed to provide supporting materials to the committee through the analyst.
Ending
McCray closed by thanking staff and urging continued committee support for modest, maintenance-focused investments that the agency said are necessary to maintain service levels and meet statutory responsibilities.
