The House has just passed HJR004 by a near party line vote of 51-19. Though the Chamber has been a strong proponent of Local Option Taxing Authority it is opposed to this Constitutional Amendment for the fact that it would make local option taxing authority more difficult and less attainable by requiring 66 2/3 support to pass Local Option Sales Taxes. Take for example the remarks of Rep. Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, who stated, “It does not forbid a local option tax, it just makes it a little harder.”
This Consitutional Amendment comes despite repeated court decisions upholding current Local Option Authority. For a complete recap on the House vote check out the Eye of Boise Blog HERE.
