Who is doing more to help Hoosier families and our middle class?
For immediate release:
Feb. 14, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS – The end of the 2014 session of the Indiana General Assembly is about a month away, and it seems fair to review what we have done to address the question asked when we started back in January:
What are we doing to get Hoosiers back to work and pay them a decent wage?
So, what has been the big job creation plan from the governor and his majorities in the Legislature this session?
Getting rid of the business personal property tax…a move that defines the term jobless creation.
How will this put Hoosiers back to work and help them earn a decent wage?
It won’t.
Listen to what the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute says: “Studies have shown taxes on business personal property have a small effect on business relocation from outside a state….”
What’s worse is that eliminating the business personal property tax will put a $1 billion hit on taxpayers, families, local units of government, and schools.
According to the Fiscal Policy Institute, “Of the approximately $1 billion in personal property taxes, about two-thirds would be revenue lost by local governments, and one-third would be higher taxes for other taxpayers.”
Without replacing that lost revenue, the cut adds to the burdens faced by our schools and local units of government. That will hurt the education our children receive and the police and fire protection we deserve.
Again, listen to the experts:
“Any further depletion of local revenues will have a real impact on the children and citizens we serve,” said an official with the Indiana School Business Officials.
A police chief from northern Indiana added, “Protecting the public is engrained in our bones as fire and police officials. When considering the revenue hits we’ve already taken, my fellow police chiefs and I are seriously concerned about our ability to meet the standards of protection our citizens deserve. Further funding hits of any size are sending the wrong message about the importance we place on public safety in our state.”
Why aren’t we focusing on ways to help Hoosiers who need it the most?
So far this session, I have supported House Democratic proposals to increase wages for Hoosiers, increase our state’s earned income tax credit, and provide job creation programs that encourage employers to hire unemployed Hoosiers, help small businesses purchase equipment and hire new workers, and assist new technology companies.
These proposals failed to get any support from the House majority.
To be fair, they did agree with the House Democratic plan to increase the income tax exemption for families with children.
But when you compare what we could have done this session with what the governor and his majorities want to do, it is fair to ask a simple question:
Who is doing more to help Hoosier families and our middle class?