House leader: $36M tax cut not set in stone

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The House easily passed a $35.7 million income tax cut, but one of the chamber's Republican leaders is already predicting it's likely to undergo changes before it emerges from the Senate.

Representatives voted 49-20 Thursday to give relief to about 17 percent of Idaho's taxpayers, by lowering the individual and corporate rates for the state's highest earners.

However, House Majority Caucus Chairman Ken Roberts of Donnelly suggested this measure enjoys only the status of a rough draft.

Roberts called the proposal just a move in the chess game, one that illustrates representatives' strong belief that providing some income tax relief to Idaho residents is important.

But he described the $35.7 million cut as a "place holder number," until Senate lawmakers weigh in on what they think Idaho can afford.