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.

  • Mk23simp@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    61·
    3 months ago

    There definitely are better taxes than property taxes. But, since it’s a red state, they would probably replace it with a worse one. Or just debt.

    • NateNate60@lemmy.world
      67·
      3 months ago

      It’ll probably be replaced with sales tax increases. Sales taxes are very well-known to be regressive.

      Or think of “low-tax” Texas, where every other road is privately operated and charges tolls out the ass.

      • LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net
        48·
        3 months ago

        Even ignoring privatized services, taxes in Texas are higher than California for the average person. It’s a total myth unless you belong to the upper class.

      • ramble81
        62·
        3 months ago

        “Every other road…” serious [citation needed] there. I live in San Antonio (you know 6th, largest city, metro of 2.2m people) and there’s not a single toll road. Austin, Dallas and Houston have a few but it’s by far not every other road. You can get around on 10, 35, 45 and the corresponding ring roads just fine.

        Also the property taxes here are quite high compared to a lot of other states, but as such there’s no state income tax.

        • reddig33@lemmy.world
          10·
          3 months ago

          I live in Austin and they’ve built a toll road bypass to the interstate, added toll lanes to loop 1, and now they’re adding them to 183.

      • corsicanguppy@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        3 months ago

        charges tolls out the ass.

        User fees are so variable. We have a commuter rail system that is financially destitute because it was user-fee based and then #covid. Now it’s in mortal disrepair - I know what I said - and trying to reduce services but keep prices high - shrinkflation - to remain financially viable.

        • NateNate60@lemmy.world
          2·
          3 months ago

          Rail competes with flights and driving for business. People are choosing not to take trains because it’s worse than flying or driving. If you build it to the point where it’s better than flying or driving, people will use it. Americans have no aversion to trains, they have aversions to bad service. See the Brightline projects and the Acela Express. High-speed, high-quality rail can work and be profitable in America.

          Road tolls in Texas compete with being unemployed. People have no choice but to drive and pay because of Texas’s horrendous urban design.

      • shastaxc
        1·
        3 months ago

        Sales tax benefits residents more in states with high tourism like CA, FL, NY. But ND? Lol

    • treadful@lemmy.zipEnglish
      5·
      3 months ago

      This would be great if it eliminated property tax for primary residences or something like that. Everything else is a handout to the wealthy.