Update and Correction: Another review of the petition shows that under subsection D of the measure (page three of the PDF) concerning head of household tax rates someone but in a tax rate of 2.77% (which would be a 45% cut) instead of 2.52% (which is a 50% cut).

Clearly a typo, and certainly not the fault of the Secretary of State’s office.  It looks like the folks at AFP made this mistake.

This is the recently-released ballot language for the initiated measure to cut personal income tax rates in North Dakota by 50% (and corporate income rates by 15%).

Note the bolded section.

This initiated statutory measure would amend sections 57-38-30 and 57-38-30.3 of the North Dakota Century Code.

This initiated measure would amend sections 57-38-30 and 57-38-30.3 of the North Dakota Century Code for tax years beginning after December 31, 2008 by lowering the state corporate income tax rates by fifteen percent and the adjusted state income tax rates by fifty percent, except for one taxpayer bracket where the reduction would be forty-five percent and for two other brackets where some income would not be taxed.

I’m wondering where in the heck the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office got that bit about the personal income tax not applying evenly (or even at all) to all tax brackets.

A look at the petitions that were circulated (which by law included the changes to law that would be made by the measure) it seems pretty clear to me that this initiated measure would cut tax rates by 50% for all state tax brackets.

Meaning, unless I’m missing something (and I don’t think I am), that the official ballot language for the measure from the Secretary of State’s office is more than misleading.  It’s flat-out wrong.

I hate to get into conspiracy theories, but let’s remember that Governor John Hoeven has opposed this initiated measure.  When it got put on the ballot officially the Governor was quick to release an income tax cut proposal of his own.  Frankly, I think the Governor is afraid of this measure passing.

I think he’s afraid of it because it wasn’t his idea.  I think he’s afraid of it because it would give him, a big-government Republican who only stopped being a Democrat right before he ran for Governor, less of our tax dollars to spend.  I think he’s afraid of it because it might wake North Dakotans up to just how much money they’re spending for all this government Hoeven has created while in office.

But be that as it may, it’s no reason for this measure not to get a fair-shake on the ballot.  While I don’t know that the Governor had a hand in this ballot language (and I want to make that point very clear), given how his administration has opposed the measure in general it’s hard to believe he didn’t too.