Vanderburgh Co. Taxpayers Group Supporting Governor's Tax Plan
By: Andy Schroeder
Updated: November 20, 2007
The Vanderburgh County Taxpayers Association, along with taxpayers groups from across the state, met behind closed doors more more than an hour Tuesday with Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.
The main thrust of their meeting was to ask the governor to support complete abolition of property taxes during the upcoming legislative session, where the number one priority of lawmakers will be tax reform. Daniels has pitched a plan that calls for caps on homeowners property taxes at one percent of the total value. To offset the lost revenue, he would raise the state sales tax from six to seven percent. The final, and in the Daniels eyes, most important element of the plan is instituting strict regulations on local spending by cities, towns, school districts, townships, libraries and other taxing agencies. This would include a required referendum vote on all major capitol projects.
Members of the taxpayers groups say they think Daniels plan is a step in the right direction, and may eventually lead to the full abolition of property tax. Indiana would be the first state in the US to do that, if it were to happen. The Daniels plan will likely be the first item of consideration once the General Assembly begins its session in January.
