Governor Heineman delivered his annual state of the State address last week. His proposals were generally good, but it remains to be seen whether his wishes will be fulfilled by himself as well as by the Legislature.
The governor deserves high marks so far in his administration for keeping the State on solid ground financially. His conservatism has been hard to swallow by some groups at times, but in the end, those policies have proven to be wise, and Nebraska is in good shape when compared to the rest of the states in the nation.
To most citizens, the issue of child care has been puzzling. It is such a complex issue that most of us can not make intelligent comments, except to say that we wish the Governor and the Legislature would put it at the top of their list and come up with a long term solution.
One of the Governor’s recommendations, erasing the inheritance tax, is really not a tax break, but rather a tax shift. This source of revenue has gone to the counties, and eliminating the tax would just dump a large problem on most of the counties. This in turn would of course cause an increase in property taxes at the county level. This means that the tax burden would be borne, generally, on those with lower income than those who pay the inheritance tax. In other words, it is just another example of shifting a tax burden from the rich to the poor. I would guess that this proposal would never be passed.
Nevertheless, the Governor gets good marks for trying to put Nebraska in a more competitive level against other states, which should help in our quest for more industry, more business, and more taxpayers.
The governor deserves high marks so far in his administration for keeping the State on solid ground financially. His conservatism has been hard to swallow by some groups at times, but in the end, those policies have proven to be wise, and Nebraska is in good shape when compared to the rest of the states in the nation.
To most citizens, the issue of child care has been puzzling. It is such a complex issue that most of us can not make intelligent comments, except to say that we wish the Governor and the Legislature would put it at the top of their list and come up with a long term solution.
One of the Governor’s recommendations, erasing the inheritance tax, is really not a tax break, but rather a tax shift. This source of revenue has gone to the counties, and eliminating the tax would just dump a large problem on most of the counties. This in turn would of course cause an increase in property taxes at the county level. This means that the tax burden would be borne, generally, on those with lower income than those who pay the inheritance tax. In other words, it is just another example of shifting a tax burden from the rich to the poor. I would guess that this proposal would never be passed.
Nevertheless, the Governor gets good marks for trying to put Nebraska in a more competitive level against other states, which should help in our quest for more industry, more business, and more taxpayers.
I’m Roger Larson, and that’s the way I see it.
Listen to Roger Larson’s Perspectives each Tuesday and Thursday in the 7am and 5pm on KLIN 1400AM, or view them on KLIN.com
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