Study: Idaho’s taxes the lowest in the region

A new state study shows Idaho’s overall taxes are the lowest in the region and rank 48th in the nation.

The Spokesman-Review reports the annual Tax Burden Study, which the Idaho State Tax Commission has prepared each year since the 1970s, shows that Idaho’s total state and local tax burden per person ranks 48th among the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, and falls 29.6 percent below the U.S. average. It’s the lowest among 11 Western states.

The state’s tax burden relative to income – an important difference because Idaho incomes are much lower than most states -l ranks 37th nationally and 10th among the 11 Western states. It comes in 11 percent below the national average.

Idaho politicians, including Gov. Butch Otter and all three of the leading GOP candidates to succeed him in next year’s election, are calling for cutting Idaho’s personal and corporate income tax rates.