Survey Results Revealing

by Senator Brent Hill

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Almost 500 people responded to my local survey addressing some major issues facing the 2009 Idaho Legislature. The success of representative democracy hinges on the citizens making their will known to their elected officials. My sincere appreciation goes to those who took the time to answer the survey and to those who share their opinions and ideas with me. Following are the results of the 2009 Legislative Survey:

Sales Tax on Groceries

Almost half of those answering the survey prefer that we retain our current grocery tax credit that is scheduled to phase in to a $100 tax refund for each family member. 28% would prefer to exempt groceries from sales tax and only 18% wanted to forego both in order to reduce the overall sales tax from 6% to 5%.

Local Option Sales Tax
54% of the respondents believe that the residents of cities and counties should be allowed to consider a local option sales tax up to 1% as long as such a tax would have to be approved by the voters.

Transportation Funding
45% of those responding favor increasing taxes to fund Idaho roads and bridges, although most people feel that any tax increase should be postponed until the economy improves. 27% are opposed to a tax increase and 28% are undecided.
If transportation funding is increased, the most preferred method is to raise truck permit fees. The alternatives in order of preference are as follows:

	Favor	Oppose	Undecided
Increase truck permit fees	43%	31%	26%
Increase vehicle registration fees	42%	41%	17%
Increase cost of driver's licenses	39%	38%	23%
Increase tax on fuel	39%	50%	11%
Allow private companies to build toll roads	20%	63%	17%
Base registration fees on number of miles driven	20%	65%	15%
Charge sales tax on fuel	20%	70%	10%

 

Merit Pay for Teachers
A supplemental question posed only to those who completed the survey through my Web site, addressed merit pay for school teachers. Of those answering this question, 41% feel that additional funds should be made available for exceptional teachers based on a merit pay system. 24% prefer that any additional funds be dedicated for across-the-board raises to all teachers under the current system. There were a number of additional comments and recommendations submitted on this hotly-contested issue.

Personal Property Tax
In addition to property taxes on real estate, businesses (other than farmers) in Idaho must pay tax on "personal property," such as equipment, machinery and fixtures. During the last session, the legislature exempted from tax the first $100,000 of personal property for each business. As a result, 88% of Idaho's businesses will pay no personal property tax at all. However, this provision does not go into effect until Idaho's economy improves at least five percent over 2008. 61% of those addressing this question want to allow the current $100,000 exemption to kick in when the economy improves. Only 22% think the Legislature should consider exempting all personal property from taxes either now or in better economic times.

I welcome comments throughout the session regarding these or other issues affecting our families and communities. I can be contacted here.