Every Year the federal government gives counties “Payment in Lieu of Taxes” (PILT) for the land that the federal government operates within county borders. As is suggested in the name, this payment is given because the counties cannot tax that land, and thus miss out much needed revenue. However, the PILT program has been under scrutiny for quite some time, with lawsuits being waged due to inconsistent funding, and other issues across the nation.

I was tasked to see what the fiscal impact would be if Idaho counties required the federal government to actually pay taxes on that land rather than receiving PILT. To view a copy of the policy brief, click here.