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For the last two weeks, the House and Senate have been spinning their wheels on property tax reform/relief within the context of HB 1176.
Today, the conference committee on hoghoused version of HB 1168 convened for the first time, and Chairman Craig Headland offered up a new amendment (video above) to eliminate the “skin in the game” provision and dropping the primary residence tax credit all the way down to $1,000 - the lowest it has been this session so far.
The amendment was not yet drafted, so the committee will likely reconvene this afternoon after floor session for a potential vote.
Should Farmers Have “Skin In The Game” Too?
Following discussions on the “skin in the game” provision, there is chatter that some House member may want to call the Senate’s bluff on the idea that everyone should pay at least 25% on the primary residences and apply that to farm residences which have been 100% exempt from property taxes since 1918. (Farmers pay property taxes on their farm land as it generates income, but not on their houses or buildings.)
This chatter is not likely to go anywhere, because no one really wants to be perceived as increasing taxes, let alone on farmers. But the chatter illustrates the frustration with the Senate’s position that everyone should have skin in the game on non-income producing property, yet some people have been paying zero on their primary residences all along!
(The farm residence exemption is in the constitution, but as we know, rejecting plain language of the constitution is not an obstacle for this legislature.)
The Bigger Exemption Discussion Should Be Had
If the fiscal note cost of the property tax plan is the issue, perhaps the committee should consider examining the exemptions that are provided that allow a lot of property owners to avoid some or all of their property taxes. If everyone paid their fair share, everyone would pay less too.
Here is the 3-page list of those exemptions:
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