Tax bills should wait until revenue projection determined

Ready. Fire. Aim.

That phrase comes to mind as I review the tax bills proposed during the 2025 legislative session.

House Bills 40 and 304 sped through committee and are up for third readings. Why?

We do not have a revenue projection. Add the high probability of economic headwinds and a decrease in sales tax revenue; all the indicators say “slow down.”

Other bills would put tax exemptions into law. Arguments for exemptions are often emotional but the truth is that every exemption is a tax shift. That must be taken into consideration.

Among the most egregious of the exemption bills are those that trample on the very essence of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution and that phrase “to promote the general welfare.”

Although we may not directly use a service, we benefit from it. The legislature should not be funding individual wants or providing breaks as SB 1074 proposes. Underlying that bill is the erroneous reasoning that if we do not directly use something, we should not pay. Applying this logic, it makes sense for me to approach my legislators asking for a similar bill. Since I don’t plan to “use” the county jail or specific roads, I should be exempt from paying for these.

No tax bills should be passed until we have an adequate revenue projection and no tax bills that focus on exemptions should be passed unless these undergo serious scrutiny.

MARY OLLIE

Bonners Ferry