March 30, 2023
Boise–On Monday, Governor Little vetoed HB292, the Property Tax Relief Bill. In a letter explaining his decision, he said, “House Bill 292 presents significant impacts on election dates, public defense funding, online sales tax collections, local government sales tax distributions, and funding for transportation, and it jeopardizes bonding for critical infrastructure projects.” He called on the legislature to “get property tax relief done right this session” by stripping all non-property-tax items from the bill.
The next day, the Idaho House voted 58-12 to override the Governor’s veto; on Wednesday, the Senate also voted to override the veto.
On Wednesday evening, Idaho Senator Scott Herndon (District 1) explained the impact of the Tax Relief Bill in a social media post:
Idaho Senate Republicans vote unanimously in favor of overriding the governor’s veto of property tax relief in House Bill 292. H292 will provide homeowners with a property tax reduction of 13% for the initial year and declining to 10% in subsequent years. So if you are paying $2500, you would save about $325.
The override succeeds 28-7. All Dems against.
Governor Little released the following statement about the Property Tax Relief bill:
“Since I took office, we have delivered more than $2.7 billion in tax relief to Idahoans – more than any other state per capita. In 2020, I championed $125 million in property tax relief, one of the largest tax cuts in state history. Today’s vote continues our progress. Idahoans are clamoring for additional tax relief, and the Legislature’s actions are a step in the right direction on this longstanding issue.
“I’m pleased the Legislature passed $117 million in property tax relief for Idaho citizens and businesses. I called for $120 million at the start of the session, and they came close to my recommendation. I’m also pleased the Legislature fixed concerns I identified in my veto of House Bill 292 – transportation bonding and public defense funding. The process worked, and we are getting real property tax relief done for Idahoans.
“Overall, I’m also pleased we achieved almost ALL of my IDAHO FIRST budget priorities this session for workforce training, education, property tax relief, transportation, water, building infrastructure, broadband, public safety, healthcare, outdoor recreation, fire, rainy-day transfers, and more.”
