STATEHOUSE (April 1, 2008) — When Hoosier taxpayers get their property tax bills this year, they will have a better idea of how their tax money is being spent.

Starting with tax statements sent this year, counties must include each taxing unit’s rate from the previous year, the current year and the percent of increase or decrease. Those statements allow taxpayers to track how a specific agency is handling the public’s money.

The statements are the result of a House Republican-led initiative in the 2006 General Assembly. State Rep. P. Eric Turner (R-Marion) presented the idea to the Legislature after seeing similar statements on property tax bills in Florida. He thought the statements helped make government spending more transparent, giving taxpayers information that could help them understand where their money went.

“Property-tax payers deserve to know how their property taxes are being spent,” Turner said Tuesday. “Additional information on the property tax bill will allow individual taxpayers to know specifically what local taxing units have had increased spending and what percentage increase is involved.”

The new forms serve as both a statement and a tax bill.

“It was our goal to make future property-tax bills simple, clear and understandable,” Turner said. “Coupled with the property tax package of 2008, this additional information will allow taxpayers to stay better informed and hopefully continue reducing the burden of property taxes.”