For many years, the state has focused on a balanced approach to funding government through the collections of property, income, and sales taxes. There have been initiated measures in the past to significantly reduce individual and corporate income taxes and eliminate property taxes. The citizens of North Dakota soundly defeated these measures because they support and value public services. November 5, 2024, the citizens of North Dakota will again vote on an initiated measure to eliminate property taxes.
This summer at the AFT Convention the North Dakota Public Employee local submitted the resolution “Addressing the Harms Exacerbated by State Level Tax Cuts”. During 2022 and 2023 state legislatures passed more than 500 tax and revenue cuts with a value of $37 billion accounting for approximately 2.5% of state tax collections in 2022. Additional state tax cuts will be phased in, further reducing revenue by an additional $1.4 billion. In North Dakota, the 2023 legislature passed legislation significantly reducing the individual income tax rates and eliminated income tax on sources of income.
The reduction to tax collections is significantly impacting state and local governments from providing the resources to fill public employee vacancies, fund public education, and fund our higher education system which is educating our future workforce. Reducing higher education results in higher tuition and increased student debt, and colleges and universities expanding the use of adjunct faculty.
I know taxes are not a sexy subject, but public employees and educational professionals know that we cannot provide quality services and education without adequate resources. We must advocate for a tax policy that prevents individuals and corporations from using tax shelters and offshoring of income to avoid paying taxes that are necessary to fund government services and the common good of all citizens. North Dakota needs a balanced tax system.
From now until November, we must talk to our families, neighbors, and friends about why eliminating property taxes is not good for North Dakota. Property taxes not only fund public education but many municipal government services that we need and enjoy including parks and libraries. If the state must provide revenues to municipal governments, the revenue will not be available to hire and retain quality public employees, provide needed salary increases, and fund the public employee pension as promised during the last legislative session. Join me in the fight to defeat the measure that would eliminate property taxes to ensure North Dakota and the community in which you live is the best that it can be, and a place that we all can be proud to call home.
