02/04/10

BOISE, Idaho (AP) _ Democrats want anybody who takes an
ownership stake in a small Idaho business to be eligible for a 50
percent tax break when they unload their share of the venture for a
profit.

The measure, introduced Thursday in the House Revenue and
Taxation Committee for a full hearing later, is part of the
minority party's six-bill package aimed at helping revive the
state's lagging economy.

The bill seeks to stimulate investment from venture capitalists
in companies with 20 or fewer employees, but it would also allow
any family members to take stakes in relatives' companies, then get
a 50 percent break on gains once they sell.

Operative earnings wouldn't qualify for the break.

Rep. Bill Killen, the Boise Democrat sponsoring the measure,
says he wants to make such investments more attractive ``by
offering a little sweetener in the Idaho tax code.''


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