— NOTE: This is a corrected version of the original post. It reflects a $27.4 million transfer to the Budget Stabilization Fund in FY 2014 that was omitted from the original post. Thanks to the Legislative Services Office for pointing … Read more >>

Personal Property Tax Exemption Proposal Devastating To Idaho Public Schools

A proposal (RS22034) is circulating that would enact the much anticipated personal property tax exemption. In a nutshell, this proposal would be devastating to the funding of Idaho’s public schools. … Read more >>

The Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy has released a new report that documents the potential impacts of personal property tax exemption from a taxpayer perspective. This report is complimentary to Idaho Tax Commission report EPB0703_01-15-2013 that was originally released on December … Read more >>

Here’s the text of an op-ed Michael Ferguson submitted to newspapers throughout Idaho concerning the funding of public schools in Idaho:

Election Over, Now It’s Time To Focus On Resources

Now that the election is behind us, we have an … Read more >>

Click here to download a pdf version of the slides Mike Ferguson used in the presentation he gave on September 21, 2012 to the Idaho Falls City Club on Idaho Public School funding.… Read more >>

This is an update of Idaho’s General Fund budget as of August 2012. It reflects changes that have occurred since the end of the 2012 Idaho Legislative Session. The primary documents used to produce this update are the Legislative Fiscal … Read more >>

HB 563 makes permanent reductions to Idaho’s top individual income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate, effective 1/1/2012. The Division of Financial Management (DFM) estimates the amount of foregone General Fund revenue to be $35.7 million in FY … Read more >>

There’s been much talk of the need for jobs in Idaho. The Gem State’s economy has gone from several decades of being one of the best performing in the nation, to the last half decade of being one of the … Read more >>

One of the most anticipated parts of the Executive Budget each year is the General Fund revenue forecast. This is the set of numbers that establish, for budgeting purposes, how much money the state will have to support its spending … Read more >>

In 2011 the Idaho Legislature made very large cuts to Idaho’s medical assistance (Medicaid) programs.  These cuts were the result of forecasted revenue that was insufficient to maintain medical assistance and other state programs at a constant level of … Read more >>

The Division of Financial Management reports that January revenue exceeded expectations by $6.3 million, or 2.4%. That’s a little less than the 2.9% excess in December, but it makes two for two months under the new DFM forecast that revenue … Read more >>

When we look at the FY 2013 Executive Budget, one notable feature is the allocation of $60 million for replenishing several of the state’s reserve funds. Reserves are an important part of sound budgeting practices. Primarily because of revenue volatility, … Read more >>

Anyone who spends much time around Idaho’s legislative session quickly realizes the state’s budget is an enormous part of the work that gets done. The state’s budget is a clear expression of the priorities of the state’s policy makers. What … Read more >>

This corner of the site is where you’ll find periodic posts from the director (that’s me, Mike Ferguson) on topics pertinent to Idaho’s public finances. Other parts of the site you may want to check often are the NEWS & … Read more >>