The Blog at MSPC

The Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit is a new refundable tax credit program that allows parents to apply for a tax credit of up to $5,000 for each eligible student, and up to $7,500 for each eligible special needs student, for qualified education expenses.

Decades of federal forest managers pursuing suppression-focused tactics led to a logjam of unmanaged forests waiting to ignite. Current federal policies barely chip away at the buildup, with only 0.08% of public lands treated with prescribed fire. A rate far below the accumulation of vulnerable fuels on public lands in the mountain states.

The Tax Foundation's State Competitiveness Index reveals which states are taxpayer-friendly for both individuals and businesses. States are ranked based on income, sales, excise, property, capital gains, corporate, payroll, estate, and VAT consumption taxes.

As statistics refute themselves, regulations harm more than protect, and trade barriers exasperate challenges facing domestic producers, the government’s role in farming is only adding to the red.

Whether and where to attend college can be a life-changing decision with significant impacts on an individual's future job opportunities and potential debt liabilities. Students, parents, and policymakers all have a vested interest in ensuring the return on investment is worth the considerable expense.

A small group of agitators may be determined to intimidate parents, but the rest of Idaho shouldn’t let them. These meetings belong to families. The conversation belongs to the community.

On November 10, 2025, Mountain States Policy Center filed an amicus brief addressing the IEA’s claims with national case law analysis demonstrating that HB 93 is a constitutionally sound program that serves a legitimate public purpose benefiting Idahoans.

Across Idaho, more than 160,000 people earn income—whether as a primary or supplemental source—through self-employment, contract work, or small business ownership. They include truckers, delivery drivers, freelance creatives, childcare providers, and self-employed farmers and tradespeople who remain central to Idaho’s economy.

Licensure raises the price of entry into the trades’ labor market, artificially limiting the number of people who can enter it. Given the ever-important need for skilled laborers in the trades, this is a big concern. The research shows that Idaho has the ability to lower its licensure requirements without significant harm, and therefore should do so.

Over 300 teachers, principals, and community leaders came together for this year's event, giving a state-wide perspective on all the things we should be doing to better equip our parents and students with what they need to succeed in educating their youth.

Mountain States Policy Center (MSPC), the leading free-market think tank serving the Mountain West, is pleased to announce the hiring of Meg Goudy as Director of the Bill & Milly Kay Baldwin Center for Education.

Mountain States Policy Center has long argued that the goal should be using technology to cut waste and trim red tape so government employees can focus on what really matters and those activities that need human interaction.

Moody’s Ratings, one of the major global credit review companies, has reaffirmed its highest credit rating for Idaho while saying the state’s credit “outlook remains stable.”

The Gem State recently took two important steps demonstrating its commitment to unleashing the potential of nuclear energy.

Idaho is once again in the national spotlight for its willingness to innovate and modernize. The latest effort? Fighting fires from space. During the 2025 Legislative Session, AI cameras for detecting fires became a "hot" topic of discussion.

If the courts adopt the unions’ radical theory, Idaho’s tax code could be turned upside down, creating chaos for families, uncertainty for schools, and higher costs for everyone. That’s not justice—it’s activism at its worst.

Public schools and education choice are not enemies. They are complementary tools that serve the same purpose: ensuring every child has access to a quality education that fits their needs.

There is no mention of improving outcomes for Idaho children. Instead, petitioners spend nearly nine pages of the legal filing arguing they have standing and another nine pages begging the court to require taxpayers reimburse their attorney fees.

Moscow’s school board isn’t standing up for students. Instead, it's standing in the way of parents, punishing taxpayers, and trying to take choices away from Idaho families who need them most.

Think about that: a school board, funded by taxpayers, making decisions that affect families, students, and teachers—telling the press and the public to put their cameras away.