[Vision2020] Response to Barrett Schroeder

[Mark Solomon]

As printed in today's Daily News. The county commissioner's selected 
Pat Vaughan to serve out Steve Fiscus' term as assessor. Pat has said 
he will run for election in his own right in 2006.

Mark Solomon

*********

It's the Legislature that raises taxes



  Latah Republican Chairman Barrett Shroeder would have you believe 
that a Democratic county assessor will raise your property taxes 
(Daily News, May 4).

  Shame on you, Barrett, for deliberately misleading people. Assessors 
follow very strict rules established by the Idaho State Tax 
Commission under the authority granted by the Legislature. 
Assessments are not taxes. There are only two bodies that can raise 
property taxes: local taxing districts that are, by law enacted by 
the Legislature, forced to rely on the property tax and the 
Legislature itself as it sets the rules for taxation.

  By far the largest effect on our local property taxes is at the 
legislative level. It's the Republican dominated Legislature that 
dismantled the voter initiative capping property taxes at 1 percent 
of assessed value. It's the Republican Legislature that shifts more 
and more of the property tax burden to the homeowner and away from 
industry, ag and timber. It's the Republican Legislature that makes 
homeowners pay 62 percent of all property taxes, up from 47 percent 
in 1990. It's the Republican Legislature that every year refuses to 
allow local-option sales tax to replace property tax burdens.

  It's the Republican Legislature that gave away millions of dollars 
in property tax breaks to Micron and real estate developers but 
refused to increase the 50-50 homeowners exemption. It's the 
Republican Legislature that forces school districts, cities and 
counties to raise property taxes to make up the artificial shortfall 
in state support for public schools and other programs that the 
Legislature creates with its never ending tax breaks for everybody 
but the homeowner. It's the Republican Legislature that is giving 
homeowners the property tax shaft, not any county assessor of any 
political party.

  No, Barrett, the Democratic county assessor can't raise property 
taxes but the Republican majority in the Legislature can, does and 
will.

  Mark Solomon
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