Will school tax credit survive in 2015?

The 2015 Legislature will have to decide whether to renew Idaho’s Education Tax Credit. One key lawmaker is already mulling its future.

BrentHill88
Sen. Brent Hill, R-Rexburg

“I’m hearing just in the last year more comments from schools and other donors and so forth, ‘You’re going to make sure you renew that credit, right?’” Senate President Pro Tem Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, told Kelcie Moseley of the Idaho Press-Tribune.

Hill, the Senate’s top-ranking leader and a certified public accountant, said he was initially disappointed by the response to the income tax credit. But now, other signs point toward a renewal, Hill told Moseley.

The law allows tax credits of up to 50 percent for contributions to K-12 or Idaho colleges and universities. The law is due to expire on Jan. 1, 2016.

American Falls principal Randy Jensen used his campaign for state schools superintendent to call attention to the credit. Jensen urged supporters to contribute to their local schools instead of contributing to his campaign.

Jensen reported raising $38,000 for schools in the weeks leading up to the May 20 Republican primary. Jensen finished second to Mountain Home administrator Sherri Ybarra.

 

 

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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