Repeal is example of 'trickle up' politics

Sen. Joyce Broadsword has given us an example of conservative Republican “trickle up” tax cuts. HB 599 will repeal property tax on business equipment, saving business $120 million a year. That is money that goes to schools. Sen. Broadsword says that the general fund will pick up the slack. But let's do the math. Business pays all this property tax, but pays no more than 20 percent of general fund taxes (income and sales tax). So 80 percent of that tax will be paid by us, the individual taxpayers of Idaho. That's trickle up tax policy.

Ms. Broadsword says no one likes to pay tax on something they've already paid sales tax on. Let's start with the notion that no likes to pay tax. But since that's no choice, why not make the tax fair. Is it fair to relieve business of a tax and ask the rest of us to pay for it? I assume Ms. Broadsword would say yes.

Did anyone consider increasing corporate income tax rates enough to cover the revenue loss? That would relieve business of the onerous record keeping associated with the personal property tax without making the rest of us pay for it.

When the bill was voted out of the House Eric Anderson and Dick Harwood, two of our local representatives voted for it. Mary Lou Shepard and George Eskridge voted against. One can assume that Sen. Broadsword will vote for it. We'll have to wait to see how Sen. Keough votes.

This is typical of conservative Republican tax policy. They did it when they cut income taxes in 2001. They did it when they removed school taxes from our property tax bills in 2006. And they will do it whenever they think they can get away with it.

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint