Yes, my state senator wants to move entirely to a flat sales tax to fund the state, despite being already upside-down in the budget. We have one of those bullshyte libertarian balanced budget amendments in our state constitution, so the effect would be to eliminate social services and public schools (both longtime goals of conservatives).

As you may know, each week I have been writing about what I am calling the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. Last week I discussed what is wrong with taxing incomes. This week I will expose what is wrong with taxing property. Property taxes come in two forms, personal property taxes and real estate taxes. In Nebraska personal property taxes are imposed on all business equipment, whereas real estate taxes are imposed on commercial, residential, and agricultural real estate.

The third right contained in the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights states: “The State of Nebraska shall never impose or collect a tax on the property already owned by its citizens, regardless of whether such property is real or personal, tangible or intangible.”

I really need to run for the Unicameral. I’d probably get shellacked, but at least Steve Erdman would actually have to campaign rather than write op-eds.

newsblade.com