Testing their will and our willingness
Today begins the 2008 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Property taxes seem to be all the buzz. To be honest, I'm most interested to see who wins out at the end of the session...the elected or the electorate.
As I've been saying for almost two years now, the best possible property tax reform would:
1 Amend the Indiana Constitution to never again touch property for the purposes of taxation.
2. Cap state spending
3. Reduce government spending
4. Replace the reduced, but still needed, revenue using a combination of the taxes and fees Hoosiers already pay.
Capping spending and tying it to population growth and inflation does not cut government back, but keeps it constant in real per capita terms. --Dr. Bill Styring, economist.
Plain & Simple: Will our elected officials do what the electorate demands? Well, there are elected officials who back property tax elimination. Can such a plan possibly pass with the current composition of our General Assembly? Probably not. But then again, they were able to pull together last session and make water the official beverage of Indiana. Finally, are you willing to accept less than the best possible property tax reform?
As I've been saying for almost two years now, the best possible property tax reform would:
1 Amend the Indiana Constitution to never again touch property for the purposes of taxation.
2. Cap state spending
3. Reduce government spending
4. Replace the reduced, but still needed, revenue using a combination of the taxes and fees Hoosiers already pay.
Capping spending and tying it to population growth and inflation does not cut government back, but keeps it constant in real per capita terms. --Dr. Bill Styring, economist.
Plain & Simple: Will our elected officials do what the electorate demands? Well, there are elected officials who back property tax elimination. Can such a plan possibly pass with the current composition of our General Assembly? Probably not. But then again, they were able to pull together last session and make water the official beverage of Indiana. Finally, are you willing to accept less than the best possible property tax reform?
What the politicians are proposing is a large tax increase with a large shift from property taxes to sales taxes. No tax decrease. NO TAX CUT as the political mantra echoed by the mindless media indicates.
They need to pass the bipartisan recommendations of the Shepard Kernan Commission which lowers the cost of delivering government services by $400 million.
A message from Former Gov. Joe Kernan
We've got to stop governing like this!
http://www.indianachamber.com/
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You're right. The commission made good recommendations to reform local government. My plan is to reshape government spending at the state level.
Local government is only one area where money can be saved. My experience in health care and education will prove valuable to eliminate excessive spending in these areas, without sacrificing patient care or educational quality.
With your help we will change the way our money is spent by the state.
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