In Case You Missed It ... Fargo Forum Editorial: Beware of Goodies from Dems

Fargo Forum Editorial: Beware of goodies from Dems

The Forum - 10/19/2006

North Dakota Democrats have rolled out property tax and education proposals that are more political than serious. Not only would they be dead on arrival at the Legislature, they also reinforce the tax-and-spend label that Democrats just can’t seem to shed.

The Democrats’ plans apparently are responses to more fiscally responsible proposals by Gov. John Hoeven and Republican legislative leaders. The Dems seem to be waving potentially very expensive carrots at North Dakota voters in an attempt to pick up votes for their tax commissioner candidate, Brent Edison. Edison is challenging incumbent Republican Tax Commissioner Cory Fong, who was appointed to the job. Democrats believe they can knock him off because he’s not an established incumbent.

The politics of the issue are entertaining, but the dollar-and-cents details are more important. The governor’s property tax relief plan is generous and practical in that it includes a simple mechanism for counties to handle the tax break. Taxpayers would see a clear tax-savings line-item on their annual property tax statements. Based on budget surplus projections, the governor’s more conservative plan appears to be sustainable.

The Democrats’ proposal is a pie-in-the-sky assumption that more state money for school districts would automatically translate into property tax relief. It’s also very expensive –
$160 million for schools, compared to Hoeven’s $60 million in additional funding for K-12 education.

(The governor’s property tax plan would cost the state an estimated
$116 million in direct relief to property owners.)

To read the full article please visit http://www.in-forum.com/Opinion/articles/143277

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