BOISE — New legislation by the Idaho Association of Counties to reduce Idaho business property taxes by $20 million annually apparently has emerged as “consensus” legislation at the Idaho Legislature, the House tax committee chairman said Monday.

    “We’re getting towards the end of the session, and we’ve been trying to come up with some sort of consensus piece,” of legislation, said House Revenue and Taxation Committee Chairman Gary Collins, R-Nampa, who then referred to what is now the counties’ House Bill 315. “This seems to be that (consensus), but we’ll see.”

    Neither did Collins give assurances that a committee hearing would be granted to revised competing legislation from the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry. An earlier House measure by IACI sought to eliminate through a seven-year phase-out an estimated $120 million in personal property taxes paid by Idaho businesses.

    “Never say never, but right now this is the focus, on this new rs (draft legislation),” said Collins on the Legislature’s 71st day.

    If it becomes law, HB315 would give Idaho businesses an exemption on the first $100,000 in business personal property.

    HB315 from the counties — replacing the earlier HB272 — was scheduled for a hearing this morning (Tuesday) at 7:30 in the House tax committee, according to Collins.

    “If this one (bill from the counties) has some problems, or stuff, of course, then, it might (IACI’s bill) come back into the mix again,” Collins said in an interview.

    The new measure from the counties also — now — provides the exemption on operating property (including properties owned by utilities) and doubles to $3,000 an annual new property purchase exemption from the original $1,500 in HB272. That would apply to purchases made “on or after January 1, 2013 and has a purchase price of $3,000 or less.”

    The counties-sponsored legislation would provide $20 million in annual replacement money to local governments from the sales tax distribution formula in the state general fund.

    “About 25 percent of the money actually goes to counties,” said Seth Grigg, an Idaho Association of Counties Policy Analyst.

    The revenue replacement from state coffers to local governments in HB272 had been estimated at “$18 to $19 million.”

    Grigg presented the new measure on Monday in the House Ways and Means Committee — where what became HB315 later in the day received a unanimous introduction vote by the committee.

    “We’ll just have to wait and see what the reaction is with the Legislature on this,” Grigg said in an interview.

    Cities and school districts are also among the entities that would be impacted by the proposed business property tax reduction.

    Business personal property taxes paid in Idaho have been estimated at $140.9 million annually.

    “If this one (bill from the counties) has some problems, or stuff, of course, then, it might (IACI’s bill) come back into the mix again,” Collins said.

    Collins declined comment with certainty, however, on whether the IACI measure would ultimately get a full committee hearing.

    “We’ll just see what happens tomorrow,” Collins said Monday afternoon, referring to today’s scheduled committee hearing on the new counties bill. “I’m not gonna give you an answer one way or another on IACI’s bill.”

    Originally, after a public hearing last week, the House tax committee was supposed to have voted on the old HB272 from the counties and IACI’s HB276 on Thursday.

Those scheduled Thursday votes were cancelled as new legislation began to emerge.

    “(HB)276 had some technical problems to it, and stuff, so it’s really not in the mix anymore,” Collins said. “The only thing would be the new rs (draft legislation), if we decided to hear it.”