Hello Everyone,
Thank you for visiting my site in order to see what it is that I hope to accomplish if Elected to the Indiana House of Representatives for District 30. Over the next year I want to lay out my ideas and my plans for enacting them, all while explaining the purpose of my ideas.
The first item that I want to address is my plan for a Property Tax Exemption for Disabled Veterans. In the 2022 Census, 6.2% of the adult population in Indiana were considered veterans. In a state of 6.9 Million, that means just shy of 428,000 residents across Indiana’s 92 Counties are Veterans.
Purpose
Military veterans, in my opinion, are a representation of the best of American Culture. Every graduating class of Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines, Guardians, and Coast Guardsmen selflessly sacrifice their youth, bodies, minds, and spirits in defense of our great nation. Upon separation many are so broken from their time in the military that they are often faced with the significant financial challenges as a result of their disabilities. Many these disable veterans struggle to maintain stable employment due to their physical or mental health conditions and as a result are forced to rely solely on their Disability Benefits to survive. A Statewide property tax exemption would provide a sense of financial relief by reducing one of their major expenses, thereby helping them retain their homes and alleviate the stress associated with these financial burdens. It’s been proven that housing stability is a key component of everyone’s mental and physical health, and this exemption could reduce the risk of veteran homelessness or displacement, especially among those with limited income. I feel that this exemption would be the State of Indiana recognizing and honoring the sacrifices made by veterans in service to our country. It serves as a form of gratitude and appreciation for their contributions from their neighbors. As Hoosiers we would be helping to ensure that their needs are met in recognition of their service and the sacrifices they may have made, including health issues resulting from their time in the military.
How we get there?
This is a question that I have pondered at great length and one that I will constantly be reanalyzing in the hopes that we can answer. The average Indiana housing cost is about $239,000 and with an average property tax rate of 0.83% we can tentatively say that the average cost of property taxes in Indiana is about $1,983. Taking the average cost of property taxes in Indiana and multiplying it by the Veteran Density of Indiana of 428,000 veterans we come to a tentative $849 Million that the State of Indiana would lose in its GDP if Disabled Veterans no longer paid property taxes. No matter how you slice it that is quite a blow to Indiana’s budget. In order to address this potential budget issue, we would need to identify outdated programs and policies that no longer serve in the best interests of Hoosiers as a whole.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 the Indiana GDP was $30.5 Billion with $2.9 Billion going to Indiana Reserves and $14.1 Billion being the total cost of government expenditures. This is Medicaid, Medicare, Schools, Roads, and any other publicly funded programs. A large issue is that the potential loss of $849 Million from creating a property tax exemption is the potential loss of an entire committee’s yearly budget ($897 Million for Indiana Economic Development). That being said, there are many ways to address this issue by analyzing what programs are no longer needed and what programs are more valuable. If the goal is to improve the overall public welfare of the Hoosier Veteran Population then we need to look at the process itself. Allocating funds for new programs from a government perspective is a complex process that requires careful planning, strategic decision-making, and ongoing evaluation. Governments need to ensure that resources are used efficiently and that new programs address the most pressing needs of their communities or constituents.
This is something that I plan to continue to evaluate as the year progresses and the 2024 budget analysis is released. That being said I am all for any ideas that you may have in relation to how we can solve this problem together. You can leave me a comment here or email me through the contact page. Also, as we progress through the 2025 Legislative session please keep up to date with all the ongoings of your state and federal legislation through the iga.in.gov website.
Thank you so much for your love and support,
Tony
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