Lt. Governor Beckwith Frustrated Over Property Tax Bill

Source: PHOTO: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith says he’s frustrated over a property tax bill approved by Indiana lawmakers this week. The plan is a scaled back version compared to what Governor Mike Braun was asking for.

Under the scaled-down version, the total loss of revenue to local governments is now $687 million over three years. The original version offered up by Gov. Mike Braun (R) would have cost about $1.6 billion.

The bill passed the State Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy committee and heads to the full Senate next.

“I think we could still get some really good things. I haven’t given up, but we’ve got to fight,” said Beckwith in an interview with WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel. “We’ve got to call our senators and call our house reps and say give us meaningful property tax relief or else.”

Beckwith says there is still time for amendments to be made to the bill, and he’s hoping that happens.

“The game is not over. We don’t want to burn a bridge down yet because there could be some great things that happen,” said Braun. He also mentioned that other Senators are just as frustrated as he is.

Several local governments told lawmakers they were concerned about the bill because of how it would impact local revenues which provide funding for basic services such as public safety.