Making wise decisions on a tax shift

Earlier this year, the governor and the Legislature tried and failed to develop a workable plan to reduce Nebraska property taxes through increases in sales taxes. Now, as decision-makers in Lincoln consider coming together in a special session, the options on the table still focus on using sales taxes to pay for cuts in property taxes. Why? Decisions made in the Legislature in 2023 shape what's possible now.

In 2023, the Legislature used a historic budget surplus of $1.9 billion to cut income taxes, shaving almost $1 billion annually from state revenues once the income-tax cuts take full effe...