Idaho Effort to Broaden Base, Lower Rate of Sales Tax

December 23, 2011

Scott Drenkard

Scott Drenkard

Idaho Democrats are pushing a proposal that would broaden the base of the state’s 6 percent sales tax to include various services and lower the overall rate to 5 percent. The proposal is far from revenue neutral; backers say it will raise an additional $371 million. In 2010, Idaho collected $1.12 billion in sales tax revenue, which accounts for 38 percent of the state’s total tax collections.

While specifics on the new base are still scant—the “Stop Unequal Taxation in Idaho” website has a lot of political rhetoric, but little substantive detail—the Idaho Statesman reports:

Their plan would retain the production exemption on sales of goods and equipment used by agriculture and other businesses and continue to exempt health care. But it would lift 21 exemptions and exceptions.

The biggest hit would be felt in service industries, from lawyers and accountants to hair-stylists and auto repairmen. Other transactions subject to tax would include real estate commissions, construction materials, electricity and other utilities, transportation, trade-ins, lottery tickets and commercial aircraft.

As our readers know, broad bases are consistent with sound tax policy because they do not give preference to one form of business activity over another. With that said, sales tax bases should only apply to consumer products. A sales tax should not apply to business inputs, not because businesses deserve special treatment, but because taxing inputs is especially distortionary to economic activity. It leads to tax cascading, which distorts the allocation of capital.

Many Idaho Republicans reject the plan because of its increase in the total tax burden, but base-broadening can easily be made revenue-neutral, so I would urge them not to dismiss this idea out of hand.

As more details of the plan materialize, I’ll be sure to provide commentary.

Follow Scott Drenkard on Twitter @ScottDrenkard.

Topics

Related Articles

Ranking Sales Taxes on the 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index

Do Consumption Taxes Do a Better Job of Taxing Criminals?

Insights into the Tax Systems of Scandinavian Countries

America’s Progressive Tax and Transfer System: Federal, State, and Local Tax and Transfer Distributions

Facts & Figures 2023: How Does Your State Compare?

New Mexico’s Omnibus Tax Bill

A tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities.

The tax base is the total amount of income, property, assets, consumption, transactions, or other economic activity subject to taxation by a tax authority. A narrow tax base is non-neutral and inefficient. A broad tax base reduces tax administration costs and allows more revenue to be raised at lower rates.

A sales tax is levied on retail sales of goods and services and, ideally, should apply to all final consumption with few exemptions. Many governments exempt goods like groceries; base broadening, such as including groceries, could keep rates lower. A sales tax should exempt business-to-business transactions which, when taxed, cause tax pyramiding.