This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Boise, Idaho • Idaho would join 37 other states to not tax groceries under a proposal headed to the governor's desk.
House members on Monday voted 51-19 to advance the grocery tax repeal bill to Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. If approved, Idahoans would no longer pay taxes on groceries starting July 1, 2018.
"I think it's immoral. I think it's wrong to tax people on their food," said House Assistant Majority Leader Brent Crane, R-Nampa. "The time has come to give the people their money back and quit taxing their basic needs."
However, the fate of the proposal remains unclear as Otter broke from his traditional stance of not commenting on pending legislation and sternly warned legislative leadership that he is against the bill. But he stopped short of promising to veto it.
House Speaker Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, and Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, voted against the measure.
Idaho lawmakers have voiced support for a substantial tax cut since the beginning of the legislative session, but division has lingered between leadership and members on the best way to provide tax relief. At the beginning of this year, House Majority Leader Mike Moyle presented a roughly $51 million tax-cut plan that only addressed slashing the state's top income and corporate tax rates.
The proposal easily passed the House, leading many to believe that it would be the key tax relief proposal of the year. Yet that all changed when a faction of both Republicans and Democrats inside the Senate was able to get enough support to completely rewrite the proposal during an amending session. This resulted in a completely different plan that no longer addressed income and corporate tax rates but instead removed the state's 6 percent sales tax on food and beverages.
The proposal will slash an estimated $52 million from the state's general fund during the first year of implementation.
"I'm troubled that it's too much too soon," said Rep. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, who argued that voting on the grocery tax repeal was one of the hardest decisions she has made all year.
In Idaho, a bill automatically becomes law — even if the governor doesn't sign it — unless it is vetoed within the legal timeframe. When the Legislature is in session, the timeframe is five days. That deadline is extended to 10 days once the Legislature adjourns. The Legislature is expected to finish its business sometime this week.