Overview Idaho remains one of only thirteen states to tax groceries and is one of just three—alongside Alabama and Mississippi—that applies the full state sales tax rate to food purchases. At 6%, this tax costs Idaho families $406 million every year. Although the state returns $251 million through a grocery tax credit system, it still […]
A Conversation with IFF President Ron Nate & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer Idaho’s Ballot Initiative Wars: When the Legislature Fails, Citizens Must Act The battle lines are drawn for Idaho’s 2026 ballot initiatives, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Two competing visions for Idaho’s future are emerging through the constitutional initiative […]
Origins of Idaho’s Grocery Tax: Idaho had briefly experimented with a 2% sales tax (including on food) in 1935 to raise revenue, but that early tax proved hugely unpopular and was repealed in 1937. Idaho’s taxation of groceries is rooted in the state’s adoption of a general sales tax in the mid-1960s. While many assume […]
I have concluded that our legislators have forgotten that they work for the people and here is why. In a recent survey, we find that “Eighty-Seven” percent of Idahoans want the Grocery Tax repealed, yet many of our legislators seem to think we are better off if we keep this tax. Idaho is one of […]
A Conversation with Sen. Christy Zito & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer Legislative Pay Raise Controversy In a notable move that highlighted growing tensions over government spending, the Idaho Senate recently passed a resolution to reject a proposed legislative pay increase, only to see it halted in the House Ways and Means […]
A Conversation with Ron Nate & Tea Party Bob Podcast Notes by Bob Neugebauer Tax Relief Package Details Idaho’s legislature is considering three tax bills that together would provide approximately $400 million in tax relief, but critics argue the measures don’t go far enough given the state’s significant budget growth. Idaho Freedom Foundation President Ron […]
Reprinted with permission of the Idaho Freedom Foundation Government is an overachiever in collecting taxes on nearly everything we do. It’s hard to imagine anything in our everyday lives not attached to some sort of tax. We are taxed for our food, our homes, our property, our cars, our purchases, our earnings, our investments, and […]
As we get into the last part of the month of March, and our legislators in Boise start getting cabin fever, I thought it would be a good time to see how the agenda that leadership put before us at the beginning of the session is working out. It really seems to me that many […]
(The contents of this article are the opinion of the author and not necessarily of the Gem State Patriot.) Repeal the Grocery Tax—ASAP Property tax relief with a “mark to sale” property tax vs a “mark to market” tax—this session—please and thank you. Accountability of government agencies (DHW) and (DE) that are conduits for over […]
My wife and I have an ongoing debate about the best romantic movie ever made. She is torn between GONE WITH THE WIND, Dr. ZHIVAGO, and OR ABOUT 35 Hall Mark movies. For me, the best romantic movie is either TOP GUN or BULL DURHAM. Last night after watching the NCAA Wrestling tournament on ESPN […]
There are several things our State Legislature and Governor could do to help all Idahoans this next legislative session. They could make food cheaper by repealing the grocery tax. They could make owning a business and owning a home or property easier for everyone but especially for those on the margins, by creating a fair […]
(Or Dump our Governor and Legislative leaders in 2022) Let me start off with an explanation of Regressive taxes. These are taxes that place more burden on low-income earners. Since they are flat taxes, they take a higher percentage of income on the poor than on high-income earners. Taxes on most consumer goods, sales, gas, […]