Dead for the year!

That is the fate of House Bill 741, which would have raised Idaho’s sales tax to the highest in the nation to pay for a reduction in property taxes.

NFIB members were having none of it, and their response to an Action Alert sent them by NFIB overwhelmed representatives and senators.

“Legislators were totally taken aback by the strong opposition to the bill,” reports NFIB Idaho State Director Suzanne Budge from the halls of the Capitol. “Our small business members 100% led that charge by letting their voices be heard not only in the Capitol but also in every legislative district in the state.”

On March 11, KTVB Channel 7 in Boise reported HB 741 dead for the year and cited a Senate Majority Caucus memo saying it would now become a “tool needed to continue the conversation.”

All NFIB Action Alerts allow members to tailor their own messages directly to lawmakers. A sample of the ones sent in opposition to HB 741 (names withheld) included:

• “I oppose HB 741 for the following important reasons: Product and distribution prices increased greatly and continue to increase. It was necessary for me to raise prices by 7%. If [the] sales tax increases, I will have to raise prices yet again.”
  
  
  
• “Everyday people will not be able to afford daily items like medicine food, diapers, and even gas.”
  
  
  
• “This is not a good idea. Consumers will spend less hurting small business.”

House Bill 741 would have raised the sales tax rate from its current 6% to 7.85%. But thanks to NFIB members’ swift and early response, a clear and present danger has been neutralized.