Former Idaho Senate President Pro-Tem Bob Geddes is making his first budget presentation to JFAC as the new chairman of the Idaho State Tax Commission. "As you can imagine, I have one foot in the future and that other foot still hanging on to the past," he said as he began his presentation this morning. "We have a lot to be proud of at the Tax Commission. My short tenure there has demonstrated without doubt the number of very, very capable employees there, and people who support that effort."

He said, "Our mission is to provide courteous, quality services and to administer the state's tax laws in a fair, timely and cost-effective manner to benefit Idaho citizens. I find that the folks that work there are very dedicated and cognizant of the importance of that mission." Geddes departed from the usual message former Chairman Royce Chigbrow delivered to lawmakers in recent years - that Idaho's tax system is "voluntary." "In the past you've heard that it's voluntarily complied with," Geddes said. "That's not necessarily the case, in my opinion. ... I think they comply because it's the law of the state. ... Our system depends on that voluntary compliance ... by our citizens."