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Senate GOP: Daniels’ speech should help ‘build
public, political support’ for major tax reforms
Caucus committed to cutting, capping property taxes,
letting voters decide Constitutional amendment
(STATEHOUSE) -- Senate Republican leaders say Gov. Mitch Daniels’ State of the State address should help them continue to build “strong public and political support” needed this session for major property tax reforms to be enacted.
“We are committed to substantially cutting property taxes, capping them and letting the citizens vote on Constitutional safeguards for taxpayers,” Senate President Pro Tempore David Long (R-Ft. Wayne) said following Daniels’ speech Tuesday night. “We will move swiftly to reduce the cost of local government and fix the broken assessment system. At the same time, we will continue discussing and debating ways of eliminating property taxes on homes now or in the future.”
“I agree with the governor’s emphasis on a strong Hoosier economy and I think we’ve come a long way,” State Sen. Gary Dillon (R-Columbia City), Tax and Fiscal Policy committee member said, “The progress is amazing. I also think that his approach to the relief of property tax is a good balanced one with little risk of disrupting the economy.”
Long said Daniels’ reforms mirror those authored by GOP senators. “The governor has offered an excellent framework and articulated a willingness to build on this as a foundation. Republican senators will continue to work with the administration and colleagues from both chambers and both sides of the aisle to provide lasting relief and reform for Hoosiers.”
Senators are quickly advancing a series of bills that include:
- Requiring public referendums on costly government projects;
- Developing and sharing standardized school construction plans;
- Controlling local government spending and debt;
- Shifting remaining K-12 and child welfare costs from property taxpayers to the state budget; and
- Streamlining and modernizing assessments at the county level.
“We must control debt if we’re going to control property taxes. Debt service is nearly one-fourth of the net property tax levy and is increasing at 9.5 percent per year. This is clearly unacceptable,” Dillon said.
Long said lawmakers will continue to work diligently on other issues important to Hoosiers, including the economy and jobs, healthcare, education, illegal immigration and crime.
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Sen. Dillon represents Senate District 17, which includes, Allen, Grant, Huntington, Kosciusko, Wabash and Whitley counties.
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