Video: What Kind Of Tax Relief Will North Dakotans Get?

Chris Berg was kind enough to have me on his 6:30 Point of View show on Valley News Live this evening to talk about the sort of tax relief that may be coming out of the legislative session, and also what sort of funding may be going to oil-impacted counties in the western part of the state.

On the issue of tax relief, I’m afraid North Dakotans are going to be disappointed. We will certainly get some amount of income tax relief, but the Senate seems intent on whittling the over $500 million in corporate and personal income tax relief passed by the House down to something closer to the $125 million Governor Jack Dalrymple recommended in his budget.

Governor Dalrymple’s property tax relief plan has passed, but that’s not really tax relief such much as a shift in fundin from local to state. We’re not eliminating spending. In fact, we’re passing an 88% increase in K12 school spending:

Even as enrollment has declined:

Adjusted for inflation, we’ve increased per-pupil education spending by about 140% over the last decade including Dalrymple’s new “property tax relief” plan.

You don’t lower tax burdens with dramatic spending increases. It’s not tax relief when you’re just moving the spending from one budget to another.