The House Revenue Committee was again disinterested in new taxes last week as it voted down a real estate transfer tax, and an expansion of the sales tax from goods to services.
Teton County legislators supported the real estate tax. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort lobbied against the sales tax expansion.
Rep. Cathy Connolly, D-Albany, was the lead sponsor on the sales tax bill. Pointing to a report on Wyomingâs estimated âtax capacityâ â the ability to increase taxes while remaining competitive business-wise â she argued that Wyoming has plenty of âcapacity.â
âWe have a reputation for being business friendly â no two ways about it. Our taxes are part of that,â Connolly said. âBut what these studies indicate over and over and over again is that we can increase our taxes and still remain competitive. We have that capacity.â
Voter ID bill advances in Wyoming Legislature
(Dan Cepeda, Oil City File)
A measure to require a photo ID at the polls is sailing through the Legislature despite testimony from the Secretary of State and local election clerks that voter fraud is not a problem in Wyoming.
House Bill 75 – voter fraud-prevention would require voters to present either a valid Wyoming driver’s license, tribal ID, U.S. passport, military ID or Medicare insurance card when voting in person. Passage of the bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Chuck Gray (R-Casper) and co-sponsored by 56 lawmakers between the House and Senate, is all but certain.
Among several issues discussed last week in a conversation between Jackson town councilors and several local state legislators was the possibility of any new revenue mechanisms being passed by the Legislature in the near future, and it appears the chances for any such measure are slim to none.
The issue of revenue hits particularly close to home in Jackson, as the council undertakes setting the coming fiscal yearâs budget against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic and potential revenue shortfalls.
Councilor Jonathan Schechter raised the issue, asking the panel of state Reps. Mike Yin, Jim Roscoe and Andy Schwartz, along with state Sens. Mike Gierau and Dan Dockstader, if it seems ârealistic to think that there will be any new revenue-generating mechanisms that will get through the Legislature.â
Teton County school administrators and trustees want their elected representatives to fight for their interests in the upcoming session of the Wyoming Legislature.