It’s Time to Think Big
Starting a new year is a good time to reflect back on what happened in the year prior and to look forward moving into next year. As a Nebraskan who has been actively engaged in politics and government for some time now, I look at the new year and wonder: “What is our Nebraska Legislature going to do this year to make our state better?”
In Lincoln and Nebraska, we are experiencing unprecedentedly low unemployment numbers. Employers across nearly all sectors are doing everything they can to hire employees. I talk to business owners every day from all industries and of various sizes, and they are looking for ways to recruit employees. The cost of doing business is increasing on all fronts from cost of inputs and vendors, to increased wages and beyond. We continue to see property values, both commercial and residential, on the rise which leads to increased property taxes.
The Second Session of the 107th Legislature will convene on January 5. I hope our Legislature is preparing to think big. For far too long, we have continued to make minor adjustments here and there to our tax system, which is completely out of balance. We continue to watch session after session go by with lots of conversation – but little to no action – to transform our tax system, which was last modified in 1967. The conversation to change our system of
taxation will require leadership and going outside of our normal thought process to Think Big!
When the Legislature convenes, we will see between 600 and 1,000 bills introduced and every bill gets a hearing in Nebraska because that is how our Legislature functions. Once we take a look at all of these introduced bills, I predict few, if any, of them are focused on a transformation to our Nebraska system of taxation, We will hear many “big bills” with a focus on “property tax relief” yet when we look at the bills, I imagine we will be looking at the same type of bills; the bills putting some sort of band aid on the current, broken system, like adding to the property tax relief fund,
but no real systemic changes.
Nebraskans are looking for tax relief and a balance in how our tax system works. Over the past few sessions, I don’t know how many times I have testified on bills regarding taxes. I hear so often from people upset about our tax system, yet when I testify at committee hearings, traditionally the number of citizens who show up to testify is low. Over the years of testifying, I notice those opposing most bills on property tax relief are political subdivisions who are the spenders of the taxpayers’ money. And, unfortunately, there is never any serious consideration of lowering spending to allow us to lower taxes.
We must demand more of our Legislature! Having a Unicameral in Nebraska, We The People are the ones who must demand more from our representatives. It is imperative we demand them to Think Big! The only way we can hope for a better tax system in Nebraska is to be in regular contact with our members of the Legislature and other political subdivisions. At LIBA, our committees do an outstanding job helping review bills and develop policy positions. I regularly encourage all LIBA members to provide their input to LIBA when we are considering which bills to support or oppose, as well as contacting their state senator directly with their opinions.