KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — In 15 days, voters in Idaho will decide between the six candidates currently running for governor. Many of those candidates believe the state needs to move in a different direction.
Some say the state has mismanaged its budget over the past few years, costing the state millions. The candidates hope to find creative ways to balance the budget and lower the cost of living for Idahoans.
Democratic candidate Terri Pickens says she plans to eliminate the state sales tax on food, something Independent John Stegner agrees with.
“Idaho is one of only 11 states that even has a sales tax on food, and it has the highest percentage of all those states that do have a sales tax on food,” Pickens said. “We are penalizing our working families and lower-income folks because everyone has to buy groceries.”
“I would be only too happy to undo the taxation of groceries,” Stegner said. “I believe it’s a very regressive tax and it hits those who can least afford it the hardest.”
Pickens believes in raising the minimum wage in Idaho to at least $15 an hour to give everyone in the state a better opportunity to earn a living wage. Stegner says giving tax breaks to the lowest-income earners would be a better way to solve the issue.
Other candidates, like Independent Jacob Burnett, say he wants to invest more in agriculture and protect land that can be used for growing food.
“If we start actually prioritizing our farmers and the water access they have instead of data centers and things like that. A data center won’t put food on your table no matter what any politician tries to tell you,” Burnett said.
Burnett wants to do a comprehensive audit of all the money the state government is spending to make sure tax revenue is being used properly. He also wants to get rid of property taxes entirely and says that revenue can be replaced by legalizing marijuana recreationally.
KXLY reached out to every candidate running for governor in Idaho, including incumbent Gov. Brad Little. Little did not respond to our requests for an interview.
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