Idaho leads in unemployment, rolls out historic tax rebates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 2022
Idaho leads in unemployment, rolls out historic tax rebates
Boise, Idaho – While Idahoans are paying more for everything - gas, food, cars, energy, and everything in between - the State of Idaho is seeing headway on several of Governor Brad Little's initiatives. Idaho is in the middle of deploying historic tax relief, getting people to work, and making landmark infrastructure investments to lower tax burdens on property taxpayers.
"Right now, Idaho families are forced to pay more for food, gas, and everyday goods as inflation swells to a 40-year high under President Biden’s watch," Governor Brad Little said. "Thankfully, here in Idaho we're deploying both immediate and ongoing tax relief to working families and keeping our economy strong so people can continue to work and keep more of what they earn. We're also making historic investments in roads, schools, water, and other infrastructure to lower the burden on property taxpayers to cover these needs."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released state unemployment data for the month of May today, revealing that Republican-led states continue to hold their rank as the states with the lowest unemployment rates. Idaho's May unemployment rate fell to a new historic low of 2.5-percent.
In addition, Idaho has deployed 571,000 income tax rebates to households so far this year, totaling $190 million. The average rebate totals $333 per household. The Legislature approved $350 million in immediate tax rebates this year as part of Governor Little’s "Leading Idaho" plan, so hundreds of thousands more households will receive their checks before the end of 2022. The plan also included ongoing tax relief so Idahoans will be able to keep more of what they earn in the years ahead.
Of the 600,000 tax rebate checks issued, two have been donated back to the state for government services.
Local governments also will receive new record funding for roads, schools, water as part of the Governor's Leading Idaho plan, minimizing the potential for cities and counties to ask local property taxpayers to cover the infrastructure needs of Idaho's growing communities as they craft their budgets over the summer and fall.
12 of the top 15 states with the lowest unemployment rates in May were all led by Republican governors including, including Idaho.
10 of the 15 states with the highest unemployment rates in May were led by Democrat governors.
More than three times as many GOP-led states (22) are below the national average for unemployment than Democrat-led states (7).
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