Editor, Times-Union:
Has anyone looked at their property bill lately? If you have, you should notice that your taxes have gone up even if you’ve done nothing to the property. When the state amended the Constitution to limit the property taxes, it put counties in a bind as they could only tax the property 1-3% the gross assessed value of the property depending on the type of property in question. Assessors got around this by inflating the values of property. If you have made no improvements to the property, do you honestly think it’s worth an additional 25K? You don’t, but the government thinks so.
So, in an attempt to make it look like they’re doing something, the General Assembly is considering SB 1. Which they will tell you is property tax relief, but it is actually a bill that might reduce your property taxes, but will allow the county to increase its local income taxes, and let cities pass an income tax? And with our county loving tax hikes, what makes you think they won’t push that increase?
If one were to read the Indiana Republican Party Platform, they would see as the second core belief that Republicans believe in responsible government that the state should live within its means, with low taxes and spending under control. Yet, the Indy Republican Establishment has decided that what they believe, and what they do, are opposite. As you may or may not be aware, the General Assembly was looking at property tax relief that does just the opposite. What is even worse, is 2 members of the General Assembly responsible for this trash heap of legislation, are Indy’s representatives to us. But they are both completely tone deaf to their constituents. But I was not surprised as Indy’s spokesman to our district on the House side had his seat bought for him for almost 500 thousand dollars so they rewarded his loyalty to them with a seat as the vice chair of the committee that writes the budget? And what does he do, turns his back on us and kisses the Speaker’s ring as a sign of fidelity to the Indy Establishment. But in reality, this bill looks like it could have been written by the other side of the aisle, with directions coming from Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi themselves. Any potential gains from Trump are going to be negated by the Speaker and his cronies, including the one they pick to speak to us. This is not the first time they passed a bill that made things worse, anyone remember their so-called abortion ban?
The ones in the General Assembly may call themselves Republicans, but they sure do not act like it. We need principled Republicans in the office who speak for us, not to us.
Gary Eppenbaugh
Warsaw, via email