On Feb. 11, the League of Women Voters of Nebraska submitted written testimony in support of LB 182, a bill to adopt the School District Local Option Income Surtax Act.
The revenue committee will hold its hearing on LB 182 at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 in Room 1524 at the Unicameral.
Read LWVNE’s testimony below.
Re: LB 182 (Bolz) Adopt the School District Local Option Income Surtax Act
Dear Senator Linehan and Committee Members,
The League of Women Voters of Nebraska believes in a public educational system financed by a combination of local and state revenues. Since state government has created the public schools by law, it has a responsibility to aid local school districts in providing adequate and equitable school financing while letting school districts maintain local control (adopted 1981).
Further, the League supports shifting the tax burden from heavy reliance on the local property tax to increased state support while maintaining local control of school district budgets. The League also supports the provision of adequate revenue from sales and income taxes, both individual and corporate, to support educational services.
On this position, the League endorses Senator Bolz’s LB 182 which lets school districts maintain local control of their budgets while proposing a means of raising revenue that provides relief to property owners tax burden. It should be stressed that increasing a sales tax to provide relief must be approved by a vote of the electors of those school districts, putting this effort squarely in the hands of the local school district residents.
Real property tax relief has eluded the senate for several years. This seems to be one common sense step toward providing some relief to those most closely affected by high property assessments.
We urge you to advance LB 182 to General File for debate by the full Senate.
Respectfully submitted,
Sherry Miller, President
Mary Ann Sturek, Education Director
