ND House Votes Down More Tax Bills

Yesterday the North Dakota House voted down a number of tax bills, most notably one that would have suspended the state income tax for two years, and today another laundry list of tax bills got shot down.

Here’s the kill list:

HB1396, introduced by Rep. Kim Koppelman, would have required that any property sold in an arm’s-length transaction (i.e. not to a family member for some ridiculously low amount) be assessed for taxing purposes at the value of the sale. The intent of the bill is to more closely hold property tax valuations to true market value. It went down on a 5 – 84 vote.

HB1222, introduced by Rep. Eliot Glassheim, would have exempted clothing from the state sales tax. It went down on a 25 – 63 vote.

HB1240, introduced by Rep. Corey Mock, would have exempted non-profit organizations (those under the 501c3 designation in the federal tax code) from the state sales tax. It went down on a 33 – 56 vote.

HB1330, introduced by Rep. Jessica Haak, was a complicated bill which would have allowed residents to deduct a percentage of their federal income tax liability from their state income tax liability (with a separate formula entirely for non-residents with North Dakota income). It went down on a 18 – 70 vote.

One small tax relief bill did pass.

HB1300, introduced by Rep. Kim Koppelman, would have expanded property tax exemptions for churches. Currently church land (including property used for residences for religious leaders) up to a certain acreage are exempt. This bill would have gotten rid of the acreage cap and would have extended the exemption to “Any real property owned by any religious corporation or organization and used to further the religious purposes of the organization and not leased or otherwise used with a view to profit.” It passed on a 83 – 6 vote.