North Dakota voters will decide in November whether to eliminate property taxes. The change would be a first for a state and a major move.

North Dakota voters will decide this fall whether to eliminate property taxes in what would be a first for a state and a major change that officials initially estimate would require more than $1 billion every year in replacement revenue.

Secretary of State Michael Howe’s office said Friday that backers submitted more than enough signatures to qualify the constitutional initiative for the November general election. Voters rejected a similar measure in 2012.

Property taxes are the base funding for numerous local government services, including sewers, water, roads, jails, deputies, school building construction and teacher salaries — “pretty much the most basic of government,” said North Dakota Association of Counties Executive Director Aaron Birst.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
        61·
        3 months ago

        How are they a better tax?

        • consolidation
        • reverse monopoly
        • not user-fee-based, and thus a steady and uniformly dependable source of income
        • can’t deke out of it

        It’s math, Skippy.

      • ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works
        5·
        3 months ago

        The short answer is economic efficiency - when we tax land we’re not discouraging useful behavior. Any other tax also reduces your income and in doing so undermines your ability to meet your basic needs while also adding more friction into the economic system that you use to do so.