Porter: You deserve more property tax relief than you’re getting. The state can easily pay for it.

Earlier this year, the Statehouse Republican majority promised tangible property tax relief. The actual relief? A temporary increase in the supplemental standard deduction for the next two years (meaning that it wouldn’t actually impact this year’s property tax bill) and an increase in the property tax deduction for homeowners over 65 meeting certain criteria. 

With spring property tax season in the rearview mirror, I want to provide you with an overview of projected savings and my perspective on how Republican lawmakers could’ve cut more of your property taxes. 

This provision, enacted in this year’s House Enrolled Act 1499, amounts to a drop in the bucket when you consider that Marion County home valuations were up an average of 18.9% this year. A new analysis that I received shows that the average relief for homeowners is $59 in 2024 and $37 in 2025 for a not-so-whopping total of $96 in relief. 

Additionally, the property tax deduction for homeowners over 65 will only help an estimated 9,000 seniors out of the million-plus Hoosier seniors over 65. Although the legislation increases the income thresholds to that of the Social Security cost-of-living adjustments moving forward, the $32,610 income cap for single filers and $43,480 cap for married filers still excludes most seniors from qualifying for this deduction and will surely not match inflation in the years to come, thus excluding more seniors from qualifying. 

To put this in perspective, the City of Indianapolis provided more relief for homeowners this year (in the form of a $100-150 credit on county homeowners’ bills) than the state is providing over the next two years. 

This all amounts to kicking the can down the road. It does not provide broad-based assistance for the majority of Hoosier seniors – whose long-term housing security we should absolutely prioritize as legislators. Nor does it provide significant, immediate relief to other homeowners.   

I, along with my fellow House Democratic lawmakers, voted for House Enrolled Act 1499 because it is better than nothing. But it is not a serious, long-term solution with any skin in the game for state lawmakers – as I mentioned earlier, these minimal tax cuts are not coming out of state coffers but instead local government coffers. The General Assembly either directly commandeered local government and schools (the primary beneficiaries of property taxes) to provide the relief at their fiscal expense or gave local government “tools” to provide further property tax relief by giving up even more of their limited property tax revenue for relief. Robbing Peter to pay Paul has never been a viable tax strategy. But it’s exactly what Republicans chose to do instead of rolling up their sleeves and working to provide Hoosiers with real relief. 

My goal is twofold: Keep as many homeowners as possible in their homes. And keep state and local government providing essential services to residents. Property taxes fund schools, public safety, fire service, libraries and more – all services that I know I want to keep operating at full capacity in my community. 

To be clear, House Democrats fought for real property tax relief this year. I offered a balanced-approach amendment to the state budget to fund real property tax relief by using state surplus dollars to pay for property tax relief, thus taking the burden off local government. My amendment would have provided all homeowners with a $200 homestead property tax credit, which would have directly reduced your tax bill. But Republicans said no to cutting your taxes. 

In summary, the General Assembly needs to make a 180 when it comes to addressing the property tax crisis. Given the size of the state surplus, this is a change lawmakers can certainly make.