Issue Position: Property Taxes

Issue Position

"While politicians have talked about property tax relief for years, what's needed is real-world reform. I am committed to making property tax reform an urgent and achievable priority."

Pete's Plan to Reduce Property Taxes

* Lower ag land valuations from its current 75 percent of market value to 65 percent.

* Place caps on valuation increases. Just last year, ag land values across the state increased by 23 percent. It is reasonable policy to protect taxpayers by limiting how much valuations can increase over a certain period of time.

* Increase state property tax credits. Due to a strong economy and controlled spending at the state level, Nebraska has a high cash reserve. Those funds should be responsibly returned to taxpayers via existing mechanisms, such as an enhanced and expanded Property Tax Credit Relief Fund.

* Address costly state mandates on counties. Our counties are asked to do more and more by state legislators. Typically, the services mandated don't come with much help from Lincoln, and counties are forced to rely on their main source of revenue -- property taxes. We must examine what is reasonably expected of counties and what is unfairly cumbersome.

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