The men and women in our military make significant sacrifices for our country as they leave their families and friends behind to deploy to dangerous and uncertain places. It takes grit, determination and training to serve in our Armed Forces. And these are same qualities that Indiana and its employers need more of, especially if we want to be a top competitor in today's global economy.
So how do we encourage more military members to stay in and locate to Indiana after their service? Our state already offers great benefits like low cost-of-living, low taxes, great schools and thousands of good-paying jobs. That's when I reconnected with a Rensselaer native, William Burton, who serves as a Marine and is stationed in California.
When I first became a legislator, William reached out to me about Indiana's lack of a complete income tax exemption for active-duty military. Afterall, our neighboring states like Michigan and Kentucky already offer full income tax exemptions to service members.
In Indiana, active-duty service members are only eligible for a $5,000 deduction from the state individual income tax.
To help military members like William, I jumped at the chance to co-author legislation this session to provide a full income tax exemption to active-duty military who call Indiana home regardless of their deployment status. And I'm happy to report that the bill became law with overwhelming, bipartisan support. It's set to take effect in January.
Many service men and women, and organizations endorsed the legislation during the legislative session, including Disabled American Veterans, National Guard Association of Indiana, American Legion of Indiana, Indiana Veterans Support Council and The Military Veterans Coalition of Indiana.
I have tremendous respect for all the brave men and women who serve in our military and keep us safe. I hope this new law encourages more men and women in uniform to choose Indiana as their home after their service is over. We are a state that is grateful for their service, and I'll continue to listen to the needs of our service members, and support them and their voices at the Statehouse.
If you have any questions about this or other new laws, please contact me at H16@iga.in.gov or 317-234-9447.
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State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) represents House District 16,
which includes portions of Jasper, Pulaski, Starke and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) meets with William Burton, a U.S. Marine and Rensselaer native, Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in front of Burton's home. Culp supported a new law offering a complete income tax exemption for active-duty military members to encourage them to stay in or locate to Indiana.
