On Thursday, the Indiana House approved Governor Daniel's property tax cap plan by a vote of 93-1. The plan now moves on to the Republic-controlled Senate. Key components of House Bill 1001 include:
1) Tax bills will be capped at 1 percent of assessed valuation for homeowners, 2 percent for landlords and 3 percent for businesses. These tax caps would begin in 2009.
2) School and welfare costs will be shifted from property taxes to the state. The state will increase sales tax by a penny from 6 cents to 7 cents to pay for these swaps.
3) Voter referendums will be required on local construction projects; school classroom buildings will be exempt. Non-educational projects such as swimming pools and athletic facilities will
still require a referendum. Democrats tacked on this amendment exempting school classroom buildings on Tuesday night.
4) Annual local government spending will be limited to the average growth in county personal income--2.9 percent in Lake County and 4.6 percent in Porter County.
5) Township assessors will be eliminated. All tax assessments will now become the responsbility of the county assessors.
6) Property taxes will be frozen for those seniors whose homes are worth $200,000 or less and have an annual income below $35,000 for singles or $50,000 for couples.
7) State income tax deduction for renters will be increased from $2,500 to $5,000.
8) Earned income tax credits will increase from 6 percent to 9 percent.
House Minority Leader, Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, did express concern over the amendment exempting school classroom buildings. School construction debt in Indiana accounts for a higher portion of school tax dollars than the national average.
Despite dozens of amendments being attached to this bill and a marathon floor session in the House on Tuesday night, the key components of Governor Daniels' tax plan remained intact.
House Bill 1001 will now go on to the Senate for approval.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
ETHICS SMETHICS! INDIANA'S LAWMAKERS DON'T SEEM INTERESTED IN ETHICS REFORM
The Journal Gazette in Ft. Wayne offers us an excellent editorial on ethics (actually lack thereof) in the Statehouse. This editorial is a MUST read.
Here are the ethics bills currently being shunned by Indiana's greedy lawmakers. We like HB 1063.
Senate Bill 59: Reduces from $100 to $25 the minimum reportable amount for total daily gifts to a legislator or a legislative employee given by a registered lobbyist or a single gift received by a legislator or legislative candidate.
Senate Bill 165: Provides that an individual who has served as a member of the General Assembly may not register as a legislative branch lobbyist during the period that ends one year after the date the legislator leaves.
House Bill 1063: Provides that a member of the General Assembly, a candidate for a legislative office, an officer or employee of the General Assembly or a member of the immediate family of any of those individuals may not accept a gift from a lobbyist. Provides that a lobbyist may not give a gift to any of these persons. Provides that violations of any of the prohibitions on giving or accepting gifts is a Class B misdemeanor. Provides that an individual who has served as a member of the General Assembly may not register as a legislative branch lobbyist during the period that ends two years after the date that the individual ceases to be a member.
From Hoosiers for Fair Tax
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Here are the ethics bills currently being shunned by Indiana's greedy lawmakers. We like HB 1063.
Senate Bill 59: Reduces from $100 to $25 the minimum reportable amount for total daily gifts to a legislator or a legislative employee given by a registered lobbyist or a single gift received by a legislator or legislative candidate.
Senate Bill 165: Provides that an individual who has served as a member of the General Assembly may not register as a legislative branch lobbyist during the period that ends one year after the date the legislator leaves.
House Bill 1063: Provides that a member of the General Assembly, a candidate for a legislative office, an officer or employee of the General Assembly or a member of the immediate family of any of those individuals may not accept a gift from a lobbyist. Provides that a lobbyist may not give a gift to any of these persons. Provides that violations of any of the prohibitions on giving or accepting gifts is a Class B misdemeanor. Provides that an individual who has served as a member of the General Assembly may not register as a legislative branch lobbyist during the period that ends two years after the date that the individual ceases to be a member.
From Hoosiers for Fair Tax
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
LAWMAKERS: IT IS TIME TO ANSWER TO THE PEOPLE
Why is it that hard hitting journalists like Abdul Hakim Shabazz ignore these questions? Why is the media afraid to ask our lawmakers why they do not follow the law?
We believe that surely in the entire state there is a journalist pure enough in ethic to ask these tough questions of our legislators, governor, and policy makers:
1. What percentage of our property tax dollars is used to secure bond debt? (Hint: it is many times greater than what is being spent on township government.)
2. Who authorized citizens’ homes (property taxes) to be used as collateral (without consent) against the state’s bond debt? Who is responsible for this oversight of the rule of law?
3. Which bond banks are writing loans that guarantee repayment with our property as collateral without signed disclosure documents?
4. How much money does the state have off budget according to the CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report)?
5. Where is our off budget money kept and how much interest does it draw?
6. Who prepared the CAFR in its current format?
7. Why was the format of the CAFR changed?
8. Why does the CAFR appear to be purposely prepared so that no one clearly understands it?
9. Why are our politicians are not obeying the Indiana Constitution which states:
Article I, Section 22, of the Indiana Constitution: FORBIDS the seizure and sale of homes for payment of taxes. Article 8 taxes only corporate property, not personal property, for public schools. Most of what Indiana government now does is clearly forbidden by both the Indiana and federal constitutions our politicians swear to uphold and be accountable to the rule of law.
Do you think it could be that the REAL culprit, the REAL reason they want to ignore property tax repeal is because that politicians have illegally used our homes as collateral against bond debt?
It is OUR government and it is OUR job to oversee it. It is the job of an ethical press to be part of the checks and balances of our liberty. It is time for the media to do their job.
From Hoosiers for Fair Taxation
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
We believe that surely in the entire state there is a journalist pure enough in ethic to ask these tough questions of our legislators, governor, and policy makers:
1. What percentage of our property tax dollars is used to secure bond debt? (Hint: it is many times greater than what is being spent on township government.)
2. Who authorized citizens’ homes (property taxes) to be used as collateral (without consent) against the state’s bond debt? Who is responsible for this oversight of the rule of law?
3. Which bond banks are writing loans that guarantee repayment with our property as collateral without signed disclosure documents?
4. How much money does the state have off budget according to the CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report)?
5. Where is our off budget money kept and how much interest does it draw?
6. Who prepared the CAFR in its current format?
7. Why was the format of the CAFR changed?
8. Why does the CAFR appear to be purposely prepared so that no one clearly understands it?
9. Why are our politicians are not obeying the Indiana Constitution which states:
Article I, Section 22, of the Indiana Constitution: FORBIDS the seizure and sale of homes for payment of taxes. Article 8 taxes only corporate property, not personal property, for public schools. Most of what Indiana government now does is clearly forbidden by both the Indiana and federal constitutions our politicians swear to uphold and be accountable to the rule of law.
Do you think it could be that the REAL culprit, the REAL reason they want to ignore property tax repeal is because that politicians have illegally used our homes as collateral against bond debt?
It is OUR government and it is OUR job to oversee it. It is the job of an ethical press to be part of the checks and balances of our liberty. It is time for the media to do their job.
From Hoosiers for Fair Taxation
Tuesday, January 22, 2008