Bill Looks at Tax Structure

Cody’s freshman Representative to the Wyoming Legislature is co-sponsoring a measure that would take a hard look at the overall tax structure of the state.

Sandy Newsome says that her bill, which would create a recalibration task force that would come up with comprehensive and viable options for changes in state and local tax structures, would help to get the state out of its boom-and-bust cycle.

Newsome says that a similar task force was created in 2000, but when the “boom” part of the cycle began again, it was dropped. The bill has passed the appropriations committee and is currently in the general file.

Newsome is also a co-sponsor of the lodging tax bill that is making its way through the legislature. One of the intents of that bill is to provide a stable income for the Wyoming Office of Tourism, which would allow funding for that division to be pulled out of the state’s general fund, freeing that money up for other use. That bill has passed the House and is headed to the Senate.