Property Taxes
Building on the state's three straight years of balanced budgets, Governor Mitch Daniels has proposed two major steps to further strengthen Indiana's protection of taxpayers.
Constitutional amendment to make permanent the caps on property taxes
Limits property taxes to 1 percent of the value of a home, 2 percent of agriculture land or rental property, and 3 percent of any other business beginning in 2010. If legislators approve SJR1 again during the 2009 session, Indiana voters would have the opportunity to consider the caps in the November 2010 general election. Click here for more…
The Automatic Taxpayer Refund, would ensure that any tax revenues beyond those needed to maintain a balanced budget and rainy day reserves be sent back to taxpayers.
In years when state revenues are above an agreed level needed for fiscal sufficiency (for example, 10 percent of the next budget), the surplus amount would be returned to taxpayers on a per capita basis in the form of a credit on their next income tax filing. The state auditor would be responsible for certifying that the amount of total financial reserves, which consist of the General Fund, Rainy Day Fund, Medicaid reserve and School Rainy Day Fund are above the agreed level. Click here for more…
Education
More Dollars for Student Learning
Governor Daniels will ask the General Assembly to require that school corporations work through the State’s Department of Administration (DOA) to purchase most goods and services, saving taxpayers millions of dollars by using the state’s buying power to negotiate the lowest possible prices for everything from office supplies to fuel to computers. Click here for more…
The Hoosier College Promise
Mitch proposed the Hoosier College Promise program will guarantee Indiana students two years of free tuition at Ivy Tech Community College or an equivalent amount of $6,000 for use in their first two years at another Indiana college or university. About 24,000 new high school graduates are expected to receive a Hoosier College Promise award each year. Click here for more…
Tax Credit for Teacher Purchase of School Supplies
A $50 credit on state income taxes will be offered annually to teachers who personally purchased school supplies. Click here for more…
Finish the Job on Full Day Kindergarten
Funding for Full Day Kindergarten has increased by 600% since 2005 (from $8.5 million to $58.5 million) and 53% of 5-year-olds participated in Full Day Kindergarten in the most recent school year. Click here for more…
School Discipline
The teacher protection plan will offer legal immunity to teachers who act in good faith to maintain discipline in their classrooms and work with the next Attorney General to defend teachers who become the target of unreasonable lawsuits. Click here for more…
Great Teachers for Our Students
The Governor’s plan would use state funding to significantly enlarge the Fellows program, in order to rapidly develop a corps of 100 exceptionally trained teachers each year. Click here for more…
