Voters in North Dakota today will decide whether to abolish the property tax – which would make it the only state in the union not to have such a levy.
The following statements from tax experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Tammy Nash at [email protected] and 312/377-4000. After regular business hours, contact Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/731-9364.
“Regardless of what happens with the vote today, the people of booming North Dakota should use this opportunity to give a permanent boost to their economy by phasing out the state income tax ASAP.”
Peter Ferrara
Senior Fellow for Entitlement and Budget Policy
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“It is great to see that North Dakota has joined the growing the list of states considering eliminating taxes. With other states like Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kansas debating the elimination of income taxes this year, it is obvious that the public has had enough of the government reaching into their pockets. It is always good to see taxpayers speaking up in favor of eliminating any tax, but it would be more economically beneficial to the state to eliminate its personal or corporate income tax and restrain spending first.”
John Nothdurft
Director of Government Relations
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Property taxes mean property owners in effect are forever renters from the government. So I’d love to see property taxes abolished. On the other hand, income taxes mean we in effect are slaves to government which confiscates our earnings, and income tax or some other tax likely would be raised to replace the lost property tax revenue.
“Regardless of the measure’s outcome, I hope it prompts politicians to cut the size and cost of government, which is the only effective way to reduce tax burdens.”
Steve Stanek
Research Fellow, Budget and Tax Policy
The Heartland Institute
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“Property taxes are noted for their stability – they allow governments to know with reliable accuracy how much they will have on hand to spend in any particular year. But there’s another way to ensure that there will be enough tax money to cover government spending: don’t spend so much. The real problem is not revenues but bloated government budgets, and the only way to halt the bloat is to cut off the money supply.”
S.T. Karnick
Director of Research
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 28-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
John Nothdurft joined the staff of The Heartland Institute in May 2008 and left in January of 2019.
S. T. Karnick is a senior fellow and director of publications for The Heartland Institute.
Peter Ferrara, J.D., is a senior fellow at The Heartland Institute and an advisor for entitlement reform and budget policy at the National Tax Limitation Foundation.
