2017 Legislative Priorities
2017 Statewide Issue Positions
• Professional and Technical Programs: The Alliance supports continuing to grow the Career Technical Programs. Increased state resources will allow Idaho’s six technical colleges to train and increase the annual number of CTE graduates to meet the ever-increasing private sector job demands, and help achieve Governor Otter’s and Idaho’s goal of 60% of Idahoans between 25-34 by 2020 holding a post-secondary certificate or degree. CTE courses should be aligned across education institutions and be available remotely. Educational and training outcomes must be linked to business workforce needs.
• Reduce Business Income Tax Rate: The Idaho Chamber Alliance supports lower business and individual income tax rates to assist local area chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and the Idaho Department of Commerce in recruiting new business to Idaho and in supporting the retention and expansion of existing Idaho businesses. Lower income tax rates will position Idaho to be more competitive compared to surrounding states and stimulate a stronger economy.
• Expand Local Option and Revenue Bonding Tax Authority: The Alliance supports the legislature granting local units of government authority to adopt a local sales tax to generate revenue for local community economic development projects. State local option tax policy will include community economic needs, designated infrastructure, and a revenue generation plan containing amounts, timelines, and projects.
• Protect Urban Renewal Authority: The Alliance supports an accountable, community focused and taxpayer responsible urban renewal public policy. Urban renewal agencies (URA) and policy are important tools for local governments to build their communities and local economies.
• Idaho Business Development Incentives: The Alliance supports tax policy that reasonably incentivizes business to invest in stimulating job creation and business growth and development through rebates, credits, exemptions, deductions or similar methods.
• Eliminate Business Personal Property Tax: The Alliance supports increasing the tax value cap on the business personal property tax and simultaneously establishing a revenue replacement process to address the impact realized by local governmental entities that are disproportionately reliant upon current personal property tax revenue.
• Streamline Sales Tax -The Alliance supports collecting sales and use tax from consumers whether through an Idaho retail storefront or purchases using the Internet. A streamline sales tax policy, either unilaterally or as part of a national coalition, is necessary for fairness and stability in Idaho’s business environment.
• Access to Primary and Preventive Health Care for Employees: – The Alliance supports Idaho developing and implementing reasonable health care access programs for employees that do not have access to health care coverage through Your Health Idaho Programs or employer provided insurance.
• Transportation: The Alliance supports transportation infrastructure development and maintenance policies that are simple, efficient in generating necessary revenue, and have a clear nexus to proportionate tax burden and transportation utilization.
• Idaho Nuclear Laboratory: The Alliance supports the Idaho National Laboratory’s mission of science-based nuclear energy research and development programs producing advancements in fuels, materials, reactor systems, and safety and waste management alternatives.
• Water Recharge: The Chamber Alliance supports sustainable water recharge programs to ensure Idaho cities have water for community and citizen use including residential, waste management, recreation, fire and safety, and drinking purposes.
- Enhance Career Technical Education – Workforce Development
- Support $3.7 million appropriation for FY2018 to enroll and train all students on CTE waiting lists at Idaho’s technical colleges. - Lower Income Tax Rates- Corporate and Individual
- Support creation of an income tax rate buy-down system to reach a income tax flat rate. - Modify County Based Property Tax Abatement Authority
- Modify Idaho’s current county based property tax abatement policy to allow smaller size counties and smaller and more diverse investments to qualify.
2017 Statewide Issue Positions
• Professional and Technical Programs: The Alliance supports continuing to grow the Career Technical Programs. Increased state resources will allow Idaho’s six technical colleges to train and increase the annual number of CTE graduates to meet the ever-increasing private sector job demands, and help achieve Governor Otter’s and Idaho’s goal of 60% of Idahoans between 25-34 by 2020 holding a post-secondary certificate or degree. CTE courses should be aligned across education institutions and be available remotely. Educational and training outcomes must be linked to business workforce needs.
• Reduce Business Income Tax Rate: The Idaho Chamber Alliance supports lower business and individual income tax rates to assist local area chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and the Idaho Department of Commerce in recruiting new business to Idaho and in supporting the retention and expansion of existing Idaho businesses. Lower income tax rates will position Idaho to be more competitive compared to surrounding states and stimulate a stronger economy.
• Expand Local Option and Revenue Bonding Tax Authority: The Alliance supports the legislature granting local units of government authority to adopt a local sales tax to generate revenue for local community economic development projects. State local option tax policy will include community economic needs, designated infrastructure, and a revenue generation plan containing amounts, timelines, and projects.
• Protect Urban Renewal Authority: The Alliance supports an accountable, community focused and taxpayer responsible urban renewal public policy. Urban renewal agencies (URA) and policy are important tools for local governments to build their communities and local economies.
• Idaho Business Development Incentives: The Alliance supports tax policy that reasonably incentivizes business to invest in stimulating job creation and business growth and development through rebates, credits, exemptions, deductions or similar methods.
• Eliminate Business Personal Property Tax: The Alliance supports increasing the tax value cap on the business personal property tax and simultaneously establishing a revenue replacement process to address the impact realized by local governmental entities that are disproportionately reliant upon current personal property tax revenue.
• Streamline Sales Tax -The Alliance supports collecting sales and use tax from consumers whether through an Idaho retail storefront or purchases using the Internet. A streamline sales tax policy, either unilaterally or as part of a national coalition, is necessary for fairness and stability in Idaho’s business environment.
• Access to Primary and Preventive Health Care for Employees: – The Alliance supports Idaho developing and implementing reasonable health care access programs for employees that do not have access to health care coverage through Your Health Idaho Programs or employer provided insurance.
• Transportation: The Alliance supports transportation infrastructure development and maintenance policies that are simple, efficient in generating necessary revenue, and have a clear nexus to proportionate tax burden and transportation utilization.
• Idaho Nuclear Laboratory: The Alliance supports the Idaho National Laboratory’s mission of science-based nuclear energy research and development programs producing advancements in fuels, materials, reactor systems, and safety and waste management alternatives.
• Water Recharge: The Chamber Alliance supports sustainable water recharge programs to ensure Idaho cities have water for community and citizen use including residential, waste management, recreation, fire and safety, and drinking purposes.