Republicans in Idaho have provided historic tax relief over the last few years, making the Gem State an increasingly popular refuge for West Coast residents fleeing blue states. In fact, state revenue has actually increased over the last few years despite lower tax rates because of unprecedented growth.
Now, the state GOP is coming back for more. At this year’s state Republican convention, delegates updated the party platform to call for a complete elimination of property taxes.
Platform calls for the right to own your property
“Property tax is an inherently unjust tax that converts privately owned property into government collateral and threatens homeownership,” the platform declares. “We support the elimination of property taxes in Idaho and their replacement with revenue sources that do not place a lien on a citizen’s home.”
The platform, which harkens back to the traditional Anglo-American values of life, liberty, and property, calls on the legislature to replace property taxes with a different revenue source.
“We believe property tax is incompatible with true private property ownership. A tax that allows the government to place a lien on and ultimately seize a citizen’s home for nonpayment is fundamentally at odds with the right to own property,” reads the platform. “No Idahoan should face the loss of their home because they cannot keep up with a government assessment of what their property might sell for.”
GOP candidate wants less spending, not new taxes
Former State Senator Scott Herndon, who is running for the State Legislature again, went a step further and says that there doesn’t even need to be a new tax make up for the lack of a property tax. Rather, the state could exercise more fiscal discipline and impose more austerity measures.
“You can turn around and say, well, let’s just raise some other tax,” Herndon told the Idaho Statesmen. “But I don’t want to raise some other tax. I think we can do it through controlling of spending.”
Idaho boasts an effective property tax of 0.50%, making it one of the most affordable states in the country for property owners, according to Rocket Mortgage.
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