Since last fall’s electoral drubbing, bewildered Republicans have
increasingly looked to the states, where the party’s crop of
governors are providing leadership and policy direction. One such
state is Indiana, where Governor Mitch Daniels has spent the past
few years fighting the state’s exorbitant property taxes.
Last March, the state legislature passed Daniels’s tax-relief
plan which restructured the state’s property tax code to add a
penny to the sales tax and drop Indiana’s property taxes to
the 9th lowest in the nation.
One year and a legislative session later, the governor is urging
Indiana’s lawmakers to make the tax-relief permanent by amending
the state’s constitution to include a property tax cap of 1
percent of a home’s assessed value.
Interestingly, Indiana’s Democrats, who apparently did not get
the memo from President Obama regarding change, are fighting such
an amendment which they want to put off (at least) until next
year. This delay is awkwardly timed considering Indiana’s home
values and sales have sharply declined, and construction has
slowed to a crawl. Now would seem to be the time for permanent
tax relief.
To that end, Hoosier’s will be gathering at their statehouse
tomorrow morning to stage a tea party of sorts, with a special
appearance by their governor. Daniels, along with those gathered
at the rally, will urge the state legislature to permanently
reduce the burden on Indiana’s property owners.
A property tax battle in the Midwest might not exactly be a
headline grabber, but if the states are indeed going to be the
testing and refining ground for new and fresh applications of
tired and true principles, and if we are indeed going to look to
Republican governors for inspiration, this is a battle worth
watching.
Pingback| 3.9.09 @ 4:00PM
Meanwhile, In The States… — But As For Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.9.09 @ 4:32PM
Tax Relief - Meanwhile, In The States - Spectator.org « Tax Relief links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 3.10.09 @ 6:25AM
in the UK links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: