WARTS AND ALL
Indiana State Senator Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville) says he’s pleased Indiana House members passed out Governor Daniels property tax reform plan, but he says there are “a lot of warts” on the bill that the Senate is going to have to clean up.
House members passed tax reform with $350 million of new spending they including a tax credit for renters and and earned income credit to offset the increase in the state sales tax. Kenley, the Senate’s point man on property taxes, said it was easy to vote for the measure without having to spell how they will be paid for and he expects the Senate to make numerous changes to the bill.
In addition, Kenley downplayed the assignment of SJR-8 (the constitutional amendment which would have eliminated property taxes) to a summer study committee. Kenley says the study committee assignment does not mean the bill the dead, but instead it gives lawmakers a chance to really see of property taxes can be eliminated in a responsible manner. He also points out that many of the reforms that are being debated right now came out his summer study committee on property taxes.
