More often than not, writing these articles is difficult to get done. I'd like to tell you all positive things that make all of you and me feel good. At this point in our nation's and state's history, all good news is not an option. So I think we will talk about time, taxes and tattoos.
My issue with time is not daylight savings time, but the amount of time wasted by the leadership of the House. Speaker Bauer hasn't practiced good time management during this session. Several topics of importance were ignored because there simply wasn't time to consider them.
I've always believed that throughout life, we make the time for what is important. That has not been done during this session. We have passed on property tax caps, government reform discussions and other important issues that affect Hoosiers. Time is what we make of it, and it should not be wasted.
At a Third House in Peru on Saturday, we talked taxes. The meeting was sponsored by Farm Bureau, so property taxes were front and center. Questions about caps and fairness were expected and received, and I tried to explain my understanding of the 1-2-3 tax caps and how they affect agriculture.
It is important for farmers to understand that land is assessed according to productive capacity and not market value. Residential property received a market value comparison to establish its assessed value. Agricultural land does not. The category for Farm Bureau to negotiate is the business personal property that is capped at 3 percent.
I think the argument that tractors, combines, tillage equipment and livestock equipment are rapidly depreciated and replaced makes great sense. My advice is to pursue that path to achieve a fair assessment and cap. To many, it doesn't seem to matter what the tax may be. Some people will say the tax assessment is unfair regardless.
This week a Senate proposal was offered to assist a shortfall in the Capital Improvement Board in Indianapolis. The CIB oversees the operations of Lucas Oil, Conseco, Victory Field and the Convention Center. It has a $47 million shortfall in their annual operational budget. The Senate proposal would, among other things, double the tax on all alcohol.
Now, I understand the logic: Alcohol taxes have not been raised since 1981, and by comparison to tobacco, the amount of tax revenue raised is almost minute. The tax on alcohol generates about $42 million annually. It may seem reasonable to most that an increase is called for, but I try to be very discerning about tax increases of any kind. Taxing people at the lowest income level of our society to fill a budget shortfall for people at the highest income level just doesn't seem right.
My opening remarks made an introduction about time, taxes and tattoos. This is just my observation, but they are related. Perhaps at a time in a young person's life, a tattoo seems like the right thing to do, but the result is like many of the taxes government imposes. The intention may be temporary, but the result is permanent. What seemed to be a good idea years ago becomes a permanent decoration and part of your life forever.
Taxes are just like that. They never go away!
Thanks for your input.
More later,
Bill Friend |
