Jeff Johnson
| Staff ReporterGovernor Signs Idaho Ton-Mile Tax Repeal
Gov. Dirk Kempthorne has finalized the legislative eradication of Idaho’s 49-year-old weight-distance tax .
Kempthorne’s April 17 signature means judicial approval is all that is needed to replace the tax system with higher vehicle registration fees.
American Trucking Associations and the Idaho Motor Transport Association had tried for years to convince state lawmakers to repeal the weight-distance tax, but made no headway until a judge ruled in February that the tax system discriminated mostly against interstate truckers. The decision forced the state to agree to trucking’s demands: repeal of the tax and a refund to those who had paid more than their fair share of the tax.
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Idaho Tax Nears Repeal; Registration Fee Set to Rise (April 12) Idaho Senate Votes to Scrap Ton-Mile Tax (April 3) Editorial: Idaho Has the Right Idea (April 3) (Note: To return to this story, click the "Back" button on your browser.) | |
Also, under the legislation, truckers who overpaid Idaho’s weight-distance tax stand to get $27 million in refunds.
For the full story, see the Apr. 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.