When voters approved $107.8 million in school levies Tuesday night, they approved more than $9.4 million in personal property taxes — the controversial tax collected on business equipment, supplies and furnishings.
Idaho Education News analyzed the results in 36 districts statewide, where voters renewed, expanded or voted for new levies for schools. The $107.8 million was then calculated against a recent State Tax Commission analysis, which calculated how much every taxing district in Idaho collects from the personal property tax.
The results vary widely. Some school districts do not rely very much on the personal property tax. Others do — particularly rural districts that collect a large proportion of their property taxes from industrial or manufacturing plants and their equipment.
The bottom line is more or less in line with the Tax Commission report, which concluded that school districts collect 9.2 percent of their property taxes from personal property.
Tuesday’s school levy results come as legislators consider whether to repeal the personal property tax, in whole or in part. The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, a lobbying group pushing for a full repeal of the tax, is expected to unveil a new bill Friday.
By the numbers
The table below estimates the personal property taxes that will be collected in the 36 school districts that approved new levies Tuesday. Idaho Education News used State Tax Commission’s calculations, which determined the percentage of property taxes each school district collects from personal property.
District Total levy PPT percent PPT
Coeur d’Alene $27,000,000 4.69 $1,266,300
Lake Pend Oreille $15,700,000 7.61 $1,194,770
Twin Falls $9,000,000 10.04 $903,600
Pocatello/Chubbuck $8,500,000 10.16 $863,600
Idaho Falls $6,800,000 10.64 $723,520
Post Falls $8,500,000 7.88 $669,800
Boundary County $2,800,000 17.14 $479,920
Nampa $4,300,000 10.53 $452,790
Soda Springs $798,000 48.13 $384,077
Blackfoot $1,975,000 15.84 $312,840
American Falls $660,000 40.65 $268,290
Jerome $1,300,000 17.45 $226,850
Bonneville $3,000,000 7.05 $211,500
Payette $1,390,000 11.23 $156,097
Gooding $510,000 27.54 $140,454
Aberdeen $675,000 19.74 $133,245
Horseshoe Bend $600,000 18.20 $109,200
Snake River $900,000 11.37 $102,330
Potlatch $1,500,000 6.53 $97,950
Bear Lake $800,000 11.60 $92,800
Challis $400,000 20.21 $80,840
North Gem $200,000 35.10 $70,200
Kootenai $2,400,000 2.86 $68,640
Teton $3,100,000 1.97 $61,070
Genesee $935,000 6.31 $58,998
Grace $300,000 19.08 $57,240
Ririe $385,000 10.27 $39,540
Clark County $150,000 26.35 $39,525
Cascade $1,000,000 3.55 $35,500
Kendrick $825,000 4.07 $33,578
New Meadows $190,000 13.60 $25,840
Butte $225,000 11.38 $25,605
West Side $90,000 20.55 $18,495
Camas County $250,000 6.31 $15,775
Highland $499,000 3.00 $14,970
Mackay $150,000 2.93 $4,395
Total $107,807,000 $9,440,144
