Effort to let Idahoans pay taxes in silver fails

BOISE, Idaho

A northern Idaho lawmaker's attempt to make silver an acceptable form of currency is dead.

A Senate panel rejected a measure to give Idahoans the option of paying their taxes in Idaho-made silver medallions.

If approved, the bill would have allowed the state treasurer's office to accept silver as a payment for taxes.

But Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Joe Stegner said the measure would have burdened the agency with silver trading responsibilities, burning up staff time and increasing costs.

Athol Republican Rep. Phil Hart, the bill's sponsor, wanted to encourage the use of an alternative currency he believes is more stable than the U.S. dollar. He also sought to stimulate the state's languishing silver mining industry with tax breaks to entice a company to build an ore processing plant in the state.