Hoeven/Mathern’s Property Tax Bailouts Are Like Giving Booze To Alcoholics
So says Brett Narloch at the North Dakota Policy Council:
Governor Hoeven and Senator Mathern have proposed property tax relief plans mixed with income tax cuts and increases to K-12 education. . . .
There is a serious lack of political creativity going on in Bismarck these days. The best idea politicians could come up with in 2007 was to provide property tax relief by giving income tax credits. It was so complicated that it was scrapped by Gov. Hoeven this spring.
Now, politicians are lining up to fund property tax relief by dramatically increasing state aid to political subdivisions like counties, cities, and school districts. The theory is that those local governments will take in more state money and lower their property taxes. Seems simple enough, right?
Think about it. That’s asking a lot of local officials. Most local officials haven’t seen a spending program they haven’t liked. Now you’re going to give them massive amounts of new money and expect them not to spend it? It’s much like giving booze to an alcoholic.
We’ll force local government to reduce their mills, the argument goes. For how many years would the state force mill reductions? One year? Two? What would happen to property taxes the minute after the forced reductions are gone? Does anyone think property taxes will go down? Of course they wouldn’t.
If North Dakotans want tax relief they shouldn’t leave it up to John Hoeven or Tim Mathern or any other politician in this state, because the powers-that-be have proven time and again that they aren’t interested in giving taxpayers any direct, meaningful relief.
If North Dakotans want tax relief they need to support Measure 2.
