Nebraska State Legislative leaders, Kate Sullivan and Mike Gloor are confident that State Senators will pass property tax relief legislation next session. Sullivan, Education Committee Chair and Gloor, chair of the Revenue Committee will put forth a list of options for funding education at a public hearing in Lincoln November 12. State Farm Bureau Vice President of Government Relations Jay Rempe says finding new education funding sources for property tax relief is key.
Rempe says the property tax burden on agriculture has been rising at an alarming rate over the past ten years and it’s gotten to the point where some producers are selling their farms and ranches and moving out of state.
One of the property tax relief ideas being floated about involves taking a percentage of income tax revenue and giving it to education. Rempe thinks that’s a viable alternative and worth looking at.
Rempe is also hoping lawmakers will take another serious look at dropping the ag land valuation from 75 percent to 65 percent. An attempt was made at that last session but fell short.