ND Considers Eliminating Property Tax

[GilpinGuy]

Property taxes always seemed strange to me. I mean, we have the right to "own" property. But if we don't pay the govmint tax, they confiscate it. So, really, you only "rent" the property you supposedly "own". Don't pay da "rent", and you don't "own" it anymore.

Good for ND.

[aahorn]

The problem with property tax is that it furthers the false notion that government owns all property and you just rent it from them.

The problem with income tax is that it furthers the false notion that government has the right to know how much money you make (let alone are entitled to take part of it).

Sales and usage taxes are the only fair way to do it ... unfortunately government has ballooned to a size significantly beyond what the founders envisioned to be able to survive on the tiny taxes they should be allowed to collect.

We're going to continue on until the system has a catastrophic failure ... then instead of blaming bloated government they'll blame capitalism and well all end up living in a giant communist prison camp (because capitalism IS freedom, freedom IS capitalism ... you can't separate the two).

this is a homerun right here

[Bailey Guns]

Defeated. God only knows why.

[Sharpienads]

Dang. I was hoping this would pass.

[Zundfolge]

Defeated. God only knows why.

I suspect it was defeated because people are afraid that if Obama and the left are successful in destroying the oil industry and outlawing fracking then they won't be able to finance police/fire/schools (because the taxes on the oil industry and the economic growth its created recently are more than paying for those things now ... which is why they suggestion to drop property tax was brought up).

The dumb thinking there is that you can't re-institute the tax in the future if necessary?

[Sharpienads]

I suspect it was defeated because people are afraid that if Obama and the left are successful in destroying the oil industry and outlawing fracking then they won't be able to finance police/fire/schools (because the taxes on the oil industry and the economic growth its created recently are more than paying for those things now ... which is why they suggestion to drop property tax was brought up).

The dumb thinking there is that you can't re-institute the tax in the future if necessary?

Could be the reason. The proposal was an amendment to the state's constitution, so it may have been a little harder to change.

[Bailey Guns]

Could be the reason. The proposal was an amendment to the state's constitution, so it may have been a little harder to change.

Yeah...it didn't make sense to me to offer a constitutional amendment. Maybe a 5 year tax "holiday" with a sunset provision unless renewed or something similar is how I would've proposed it.

[GilpinGuy]

Yeah...it didn't make sense to me to offer a constitutional amendment. Maybe a 5 year tax "holiday" with a sunset provision unless renewed or something similar is how I would've proposed it.

This is a good idea. Let the folks see what they'll get for a few years and if they don't like it, it's done. If they like it, they'll renew it. True power to the people that way.

[Uberjager]

Why not tariffs? IIRC, quite a few other countries have severe tariffs on American made goods. We could give those countries "their fair share of tariffs".