When it comes to state government finances, Joe Alfieri, District 4A Representative in the Idaho State Legislature and a candidate for re-election in 2024, stands firmly on the principle that taxes are a means to fund necessary government services and not an open-ended revenue stream for unchecked government spending.
With a conservative, limited government perspective, Joe emphasizes the importance of fiscal responsibility and the obligation of the Idaho government to run a lean and efficient ship, recognizing that taxpayers’ money belongs to taxpayers, not the state.
Joe has worked hard in the legislature to support tax relief for Idaho residents – particularly as the state of Idaho has experienced significant budget surpluses in recent years. Here are some of the tax reduction efforts that Joe Alfieri supports:
Eliminating the Grocery Tax
One of Joe’s primary targets for tax relief is Idaho’s tax on groceries. He recognizes the burden this tax places on hardworking Idahoans. That burden has been exceptionally high during the last few years. Record inflation has made everyone’s grocery bills significantly higher, meaning they have been paying more in grocery taxes than ever before – simply to put food on their tables. To Joe, that makes eliminating this tax a moral imperative.
For many years, Idaho’s $100 grocery credit was a poor recompense for consumers; $100 covers the sales tax for less than $140 of groceries per person per month – not nearly enough in groceries to keep Idaho families fed. In this past session, Joe sponsored a bill to raise the grocery tax credit to $180, but the bill never made it to a vote. While the Idaho legislature succeeded in increasing the grocery tax credit to $120 per resident per year in 2022, Joe would prefer eliminating sales taxes on necessary items like food.
Dramatic Reduction in Income Taxes
In 2021, Idaho had an almost $900 million budget surplus. In 2022, Idaho had a budget surplus of $1.4 billion. Joe feels very strongly that any budget surpluses should be returned to the people of Idaho. More than that, if Idaho consistently runs budget surpluses, the right thing to do is to reduce the tax burden on Idaho’s citizens. One way to do that is to reduce the state income tax significantly. Joe is in favor of a flat tax, and the recent reduction of the top tax rate from 6% to 5.8% is a step in the right direction.
Reducing income tax burdens provides economic relief to residents and makes Idaho a much more attractive place to live and work. Reducing the tax burden will stimulate economic activity, letting Idahoans keep more of their own money and, in turn, enabling them to spend it in their local communities on things that benefit their families. Lower tax rates also incentivize businesses to invest and grow within the state.
Reforming Property Taxes
Like Idaho’s grocery tax, Idaho’s property tax has become more burdensome. Increases in property values may seem like a boon to homeowners who want to sell, but to homeowners who are happy where they are, it just means that their property taxes go up even if their incomes don’t.
Idaho places a disproportionate burden on Idaho’s homeowners, who now bear 71% of the property tax load compared to that carried by corporations. In light of recent surges in property values, especially in northern Idaho, there is a genuine risk of homeowners being taxed out of their homes as the property tax burden increases to reflect these elevated values. For long-time residents of Idaho, particularly those on a fixed income, these increases in taxes means their homes could soon become a liability rather than an asset.
To address this concern, Joe would like to see a cut in property tax rates or legislation similar to California’s Prop. 13, which limited property tax increases to only one percent per year over the original amount levied when the home was purchased. That way, Idaho can protect long-time homeowners from being financially strained due to skyrocketing property values and ensure a fair and stable property tax environment.
To this end, Joe Alfieri voted in favor of House Bill 292 to give property tax relief to the residents of Idaho. Property tax levies in 2023 will be considerably lower than in previous years, and most voters have already seen a significant reduction in their rates. You can count on Joe Alfieri to continue to support legislation like this that gives Idaho residents tax relief, letting them keep more of the money they earn.
Crucially, Joe Alfieri emphasizes the obligation of the government to return surpluses to taxpayers or lower their overall tax burden. In his view, this is a matter of respecting the hard-earned money of Idaho residents and preventing the government from accumulating excess funds beyond what is necessary to provide essential government services.
Joe’s perspective on taxes is rooted in a conservative, limited government approach. By championing these principles, Joe aims to create a tax environment that respects the interests of taxpayers, fosters economic growth, and ensures fiscal responsibility in Idaho. Vote for Joe Alfieri for Idaho Representative, District 4A, in 2024!