Lincoln Journal Star on June 19: Property tax should be the target
The Nebraska Legislature and Gov. Pete Ricketts managed to enact a modest reduction in property taxes in the session completed earlier this year, but they have more work to do
So it’s disappointing that the Platte Institute for Economic Research is beating the drums across the state for a package that includes both income tax cuts and property tax cuts.
Including income tax cuts creates an unnecessary and counterproductive distraction.
Nonetheless Sen. Jim Smith, who plans to seek the chairmanship of the Revenue Committee, said he plans to introduce a package with both cuts next year.
Ricketts and the Legislature should focus solely on reducing Nebraska’s property tax rate. That’s what the people want, based on the hearings held a couple years ago across Nebraska. And it’s the message most frequently delivered to legislative candidates on the campaign trail, based on interviews with the Journal Star editorial board.