Welcome
"As your State Representative, I pledge to serve to my best abilities the citizens of the area, by encouraging what makes this district great. This region of the state has been ignored for a long time - Funding Schools, Indiana's strong reliance on Property Taxes, Personal Rights and Safety as well as Economic Development are some of the few points that need to be addressed. It is time to stand up and make our voice heard."
~Tom Knollman
Updates
Property Tax Relief
Meaningful Property Tax Relief
April 29th is the last day of the General Assembly’s 2007 legislative session, and the Indiana House of Representatives needs to show resolve in providing property tax relief for Hoosier taxpayers. If we don’t address the issue this year, property taxes are projected to raise an average of 15 percent statewide. The slow pace and lack of effort by the Assembly thus far is unacceptable to me. Fortunately, some of my colleagues have finally taken a step in the right direction.
The Ranking Minority Member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Representative Jeff Espich, recently held a press conference to announce a Local Government Finance Reform Plan that provides immediate property tax relief and begins to remove the burden of school construction costs from property taxes. Construction projects like these account for approximately 37 percent of statewide property tax increases and communities throughout Indiana have experienced soaring tax bills because of them. There are differences among each community’s individual needs and the property tax often spreads this burden in a very inequitable way among taxpayers. While I am concerned about the challenges faced by the average homeowner, farmers in particular have my sympathy because they are forced to pay an undue share.
Representative Espich’s plan would provide more equality in paying for school construction projects. The proposal also would fund these projects with local income taxes and allow taxpayers to seek voter approval of major construction plans. It would offer immediate relief by using state funding to provide an 8 percent cut in this year’s property tax bills while remaining within the parameters of an honestly balanced budget (one with no fund transfers, payment delays, gimmicks, or general tax increases). The numbers would still meet the “Standards of Success” that House Republicans have been fighting for on this budget.
Over on the other side of the statehouse, the Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee voted unanimously to pass a measure offered by its chairman, Senator Luke Kenley. Senator Kenley’s proposal would increase the Homestead Credit for property taxes from 20 to 28 percent this year and allow local governments to raise income taxes in order to offset property tax money spent on services like public safety and trash collection. The bill would also have the state pick up all school general fund expenses, pay for juvenile detention, and split the cost of child welfare tax hikes between state and county governments. It would create a local review board to oversee all construction projects funded by property taxes.
One of my main goals when I ran for the state legislature was to help solve the property tax issue. It has been one of the most frequently mentioned topics in conversations I have with constituents. While I’m glad to report that some measure of progress has been made on this front, I must add that much more needs to be done in order to keep these proposals from dying.
Ronald Reagan once made the observation that, “No nation ever taxed itself into prosperity.” Regardless of your political inclinations, that statement rings true. Property tax relief is not a conservative or liberal issue. All Hoosiers would benefit if legislators were to act in a cooperative, bipartisan manner to see this priority acted upon before it’s too late. Lawmakers now have clear options to provide immediate relief, and a renewed opportunity for meaningful, long-term reform for the future. It’s time to get to work.
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