The Idaho Taxpayers Association is the statewide voice for fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and accountable government. We fight for every Idaho taxpayer—from families to farms to Main Street businesses.
The Idaho Taxpayers Association exists to protect the hard-earned money of Idaho’s citizens from excessive taxation, wasteful spending, and government overreach. We believe that Idahoans—not bureaucrats in Boise—know best how to spend their own money.
Through research, public education, legislative advocacy, and grassroots mobilization, we hold elected officials accountable to the taxpayers who put them in office. We track every bill, every budget line, and every vote that affects your wallet.
And as Minnesota’s massive daycare fraud scandal showed the world, too many of our tax dollars are being stolen through waste, fraud, and abuse. Idaho is not immune. We exist to make sure every dollar is accounted for.
Our work spans the full spectrum of fiscal policy: opposing new taxes and fee increases, advocating for the elimination of property taxes, exposing waste and fraud in state and local government, and ensuring that every taxpayer dollar is spent efficiently and transparently.
“Government has no money of its own. Every dollar it spends was first earned by a taxpayer. We exist to make sure government never forgets that.”
From the rolling hills of the Palouse to the shops on Main Street, hardworking Idahoans deserve a government that respects their earnings. Every tax increase, every wasteful program, and every mismanaged dollar comes directly out of your pocket.
The Idaho Legislature is in session. Here are the key fiscal and spending bills still pending action that affect your wallet.
Revises budget request limitations for taxing districts and eliminates forgone tax revenue after 2026. While the intent is positive, the Idaho Freedom Foundation warns it creates a perverse incentive for districts to max out forgone revenues in one final year and sets high voter thresholds (60-67%) to reduce base budgets.
Scales back special sales tax and property tax exemptions for data centers created in 2020. Limits exemptions for new construction after April 2026 and requires data centers to pay full utility costs. Reduces corporate tax carve-outs that shift the burden to ordinary taxpayers.
Requires able-bodied Medicaid expansion enrollees to work or perform community service 80 hours per month. Aligns Idaho with federal OBBB requirements. Could reduce Medicaid spending by shrinking the expansion population and ensuring benefits go to the working poor as intended.
Expands where community infrastructure districts can be created to anywhere in the state, including unincorporated areas. These districts levy special assessments on property owners with no statutory cap, increasing by up to 2% annually. A backdoor property tax increase.
Implements $22 million in cuts to Medicaid residential habilitation provider pay rates as part of the Governor’s budget balancing effort. Includes mandatory provider audits. The ITA supports fiscal accountability but is monitoring whether cuts create unintended cost-shifting.
Appropriation for the Idaho State Tax Commission covering two fiscal years. After the $155M revenue impact of HB 559 (Big Beautiful Bill conformity), the Tax Commission received no additional funding to implement changes—even as its budget was already cut 3%.
Revises provisions regarding the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit. Tax credits reduce state revenue and can shift the funding burden to remaining taxpayers. The ITA is reviewing whether the revisions expand or constrain the credit’s fiscal impact.
Overhauls how the State of Idaho procures property, adding new accountability provisions. No-bid and opaque procurement processes are a major source of waste. This bill brings transparency and competitive bidding to state purchasing.
Dozens of agency appropriation bills are moving through JFAC. The Idaho Freedom Foundation estimates state spending has grown 20%+ above population and inflation since 2005—equivalent to $1.6 billion that could have eliminated property taxes. The ITA is tracking all appropriation bills for wasteful spending.
Revises definitions relating to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Changes to eligibility definitions can expand or contract enrollment, directly affecting state matching expenditures and administrative costs borne by taxpayers.
Your support funds our research, advocacy, and the fight to protect every Idaho taxpayer.