Mathern offers billion-dollar tax relief plan

BISMARCK — Democratic-NPL governor candidate Sen. Tim Mathern this morning proposed property and income tax cuts and increased aid to local governments that he said would total $1 billion every two years.

The figure is roughly what the state general fund surplus is expected to be by the end of June.

He said the plan would offer income tax relief to 97 percent of North Dakotans. Those earning less than $78,850 would see their income taxes slashed by three quarters and those earning less than $164,550 would see a 50 percent tax cut.

Mathern proposed extending the current homestead tax credit program to all North Dakota homeowners; the current program aids only elderly and disabled home owners with very low incomes.

His program would also increase state money to school districts by $300 million and increase the share of sales taxes currently going to cities and counties by $150 million.

Mathern said tax relief proposed by Gov. John Hoeven and an initiated measure don’t go far enough. And he faulted Hoeven’s proposal for property tax relief, noting that most of the tax relief would go to out-of-state corporations instead of state residents.

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