{"id":137824,"date":"2026-07-30T17:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/137824\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T17:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:01:16","slug":"friday-town-hall-meeting-looks-at-ending-indianas-property-tax-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/137824\/","title":{"rendered":"Friday town hall meeting looks at ending Indiana’s property tax system"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
\nBy Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw<\/p>\n

WARSAW \u2014 Nobody likes property taxes, but one Republican state lawmaker is proposing replacing it with a 7% sales tax on services.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Prescott<\/p>\n

State Rep. J.D. Prescott, who represents parts of East Central Indiana, will hold a town hall meeting Friday night in Warsaw about his plan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

News of the meeting, which starts at 5.30 p.m. Friday at the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce office on South Buffalo Street, spread quickly online Wednesday after an online promotion began to circulate.<\/p>\n

Prescott talked with News Now Warsaw Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of sales tax on services has been discussed in the past and shot down quite frequently,\u201d he said, adding that what makes his plan different is that it offers a replacement tax.<\/p>\n

He said he believes the transition to a sales tax is workable in terms of covering expenses and he is inviting the public to learn more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prescott said he\u2019s hosted about a half dozen meetings already and plans for more are in the works.<\/p>\n

One issue that some people at the meetings have expressed concern over is the need for a larger reserve fund, which he said is necessary because sales tax revenues tend to fluctuate more compared to property taxes.<\/p>\n

Prescott said property taxes currently generate about $11.6 billion while a 7 percent sales tax would provide about $13 million to $15 million for the state coffers.<\/p>\n

He said some exemptions, including one for health care, would be part of the plan.<\/p>\n

Prescott was asked whether he has the support from Republican leaders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of good discussions with my colleagues in the state house and the governor\u2019s office on this,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve still got a long way to go to get the votes to get this thing across the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think members of the General Assembly think it\u2019s at least worthy of discussion, he said.<\/p>\n

The online promotion did not credit anyone directly for organizing the local meeting.<\/p>\n

Prescott said the meeting was arranged in part by two state lawmakers \u2014 Reps. Craig Snow and David Abbott, but clarified that neither have expressed support for the plan.<\/p>\n

Discontinuing the use of property taxes has been discussed on the fringes of mainstream political talk over the years, but has never gained any traction.<\/p>\n

But Republican delegates at this summer\u2019s state GOP convention added language supporting property tax elimination to the party\u2019s policy platform, according to Indiana Capital Chronicle.<\/p>\n

Prescott said he hopes the Republican platform plank will lead General Assembly members to take up his proposal to eliminate property taxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prescott said that the current ant-tax sentiment seen across the country has created an opportunity for such a bill to gain attention.<\/p>\n

Brian Smith, the Democrat Party\u2019s chairman for Indiana\u2019s 2nd Congressional District, shared a post about Friday\u2019s meeting on Facebook that was created by a Kosciusko County Council member.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Smith called the proposal a \u201ccrazy\u201d and \u201cterrible\u201d idea.<\/p>\n

He urged people to attend and speak out.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Below is a copy of the promo circulating online.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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