A new initiative has begun to push for the eradication of property taxes in South Dakota.
KOTA reports Abolish Property Taxes South Dakota is circulating a petition that will create a ballot referendum designed to end property taxes in the state. The group will need 35,000 validated signatures to make it to the ballot.
“To me, this petition is all about freedom,” said Julie Frye-Mueller, a former state senator who is one of the leaders of this initiative. “This is the only property tax relief that the citizens of this state are going to see, and you can’t fix something that’s broken.”
Mueller added the erasure of property taxes will be negated by “replacement revenue that comes in via retail transactions across the state – 60% of this revenue is generated by our visitors. Yes, we are creating a new tax, but we are getting rid of the most horrific tax because it takes away from our freedom.”
Frye-Mueller also stated South Dakota’s senior citizens will be the winners if the proposal gets on the ballot and is approved by voters.
“There’s a lot of senior citizens that are being forced out of their homes or feeling that they have to sell them because they can’t afford their property taxes,” Frye-Mueller said. “It’s way more than what their mortgage was when they originally bought their home maybe 50-some years ago.”
