The personal property tax repeal is off the agenda — for Thursday.
The House Revenue and Taxation Committee has pulled two competing bills from Thursday’s calendar: House Bill 272, a partial repeal, favored by local governments and education groups, with a price tag of $18 million to $19 million; and House Bill 276, a full, six-year, $120 million repeal proposed by the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry.
On Wednesday morning, Rev and Tax Chairman Gary Collins, R-Nampa, had said both bills would be back before the committee Thursday, for closing arguments and a possible vote.
A third personal property tax repeal bill will be unveiled in committee Friday, IACI President Alex LaBeau told Melissa Davlin of the Twin Falls Times-News. He declined further comment.
Repeal of the personal property tax — a tax on business equipment and furnishings — has been one of the most contentious issues of the 2013 session. Business groups and chambers of commerce have argued for repeal, calling the tax onerous and cumbersome. The tax provided public schools an estimated $38.6 million, prompting education groups to argue for a more modest, partial repeal.
