Idaho Democrats reveal “Working Families Agenda”
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI)-The Idaho Democratic Party’s Minority Caucus introduced its “Idaho Working Families Agenda” in a Boise news conference Wednesday.
According to the caucus, the plan is intended to deliver tax benefits to working families and increase investments in critical, basic skill programs, including reading.
House Assistant Minority Leader Representative Lauren Necochea, of Boise, called the plan fiscally responsible and sustainable.
“Our Idaho Working Families Agenda focuses on the Idahoans who have been left behind by decades of lopsided tax policies favoring the wealthy and well-connected. Idahoans shouldn’t need a lobbyist to get a fair shake. It is time to restore balance to our tax policies and finally put Idaho’s working families first,” Necochea said.
Some of the key components of the package include:
● Increasing the child tax credit and allowing every family to redeem the full value
● Increasing the homeowner’s exemption and pegging it to local housing costs
● Doubling the scale of the property tax assistance program
● Offering the option of full-day kindergarten in every district
● Providing schools with one-time funding for additional instruction to help students catch up to grade level after a year of learning disruptions due to COVID-19
● Creating a sliding-scale tax credit for working Idahoans
Necochea said the plan does not raise taxes for any Idaho household and retains the grocery tax credit. It also provides tax benefits to working Idaho families and children.
“Our agenda stands in stark contrast to the tax plan that the House GOP leaders revealed yesterday, which focuses on steep tax cuts for profitable corporations and people at the top of the income spectrum. This is the playbook that the Idaho GOP has been following for decades, and it leaves working families behind,” Necochea said. You can see an overview of the full proposal here.
