Make the line go down
Daily Digest 5/12/26
Over the past few days, figures from gubernatorial candidate Mark Fitzpatrick to President Donald Trump himself have brought up the idea of a gas tax holiday. The feds charge 18 cents on every gallon of gas, and Idaho adds another 32. For today’s article I looked into what that tax pays for, and what it would take to reduce or suspend it:
Idaho Code § 63-2402 establishes a 32-cent tax per gallon of gasoline and diesel. Tracking down a single number showing how much Idaho receives in gas tax revenue is difficult, since these are dedicated funds divided in various ways before reaching the appropriations process. Idaho Code § 63-2412 details how those revenues are spent—on state highways, waterways, and other transportation infrastructure. A 7-cent-per-gallon increase passed during the 2015 legislative session is split, with 60% of the revenue going to state highways and 40% to local governments. Estimates based on Department of Financial Management (DFM) data place Idaho’s total annual fuel tax revenue at roughly $360 million.
If Idaho were to consider pausing or reducing the gas tax, it would require a special session of the Legislature to modify current Idaho statutes. Lawmakers could pause the tax for the summer vacation season or perhaps reduce it by 10 cents per gallon or thereabouts. Gov. Brad Little could call the Legislature into session, or House and Senate leadership could convene a special session with the support of 60% of both chambers.
We’ll see if this gets any traction as Idahoans prepare for summer vacations and road trips.
Jim Jones serves up some Kool-Aid
Former attorney general and Supreme Court justice Jim Jones has been a frequent critic of any Idaho Republican with even an inkling of conservatism. One of his favorite targets, Attorney General Raúl Labrador, fired back with an op-ed this week:
Jim Jones is the worst kind of political pundit: the self-righteous moralizer who treats policy disagreements not as legitimate debates over competing ideas, but as proof that his opponents are corrupt, hateful, or morally deficient. Rather than engage arguments on their merits, he relies on character assassination, which is why he gets so much about Idaho wrong.
This consistent pattern matters because Idaho newspapers treat him as a neutral legal authority rather than what the record shows: a political actor with a clear and longstanding point of view who served as treasurer for Democrat Tom Arkoosh’s campaign for Attorney General against me. That background is never mentioned when his columns run, leaving readers without the context they need to evaluate what they are reading.
Big Potato makes its move
Tim Oren is back with his weekly column analyzing how money is flowing through the Republican legislative primary campaigns:
This week featured an independent journalist and hidden camera revealing Governor Brad Little calling backers of his opponent Mark Fitzpatrick “racists” or even worse – “Californians”. Less noted was a following segment of the video where a rep from Idaho Potato PAC confessed that 50% of their workers are illegal. They’d be happy to have low paid immigrants work for them year-round, aka amnesty. Let’s look at who and what the Big Potato PAC supports.
School and soccer are winding down, which should give me more time to work on the myriad projects I have on my plate. On the other hand, the primary election is next week, and the Idaho GOP State Convention follows in another month, so there’s always something to keep me busy. As usual, stay tuned for more.
Remember to make a plan to vote, whether by mail, early, or on Election Day on May 19. Early voting is going on most everywhere now.
Thanks as always to sponsors Lynn Bradescu’s Boise Realty, Money Metals, and the iLuvIdaho Voter Guide. Please reach out if you have a small business and want to partner with the Gem State Chronicle.
New Saint Andrews College will be returning as a sponsor next month, so go ahead and check them out too! Thanks also to all of you for supporting this work!