Constitutional Initiative to Eliminate Property Taxes Submitted to Secretary of State

Posted 8/10/23 (Thu)

Secretary of State Michael Howe announced June 19 that a proposed petition to initiate a constitutional measure has been submitted to the Office of Secretary of State for review and approval to circulate. The proposed constitutional initiative relates to, “Prohibiting all political subdivisions from levying any tax on real or personal property except for bonded indebtedness until paid.”

ND Association of Counties Executive Director Aaron Birst said about the proposal, “We have seen this kind of attempt before to eliminate property taxes. We are not convinced there is a workable solution that is equitable for funding the services the counties in North Dakota provide to serve the people who live and work in the county. NDACo has repeatedly testified against proposals to abolish property taxes as our members feel this will threaten local control in responding and addressing local needs at the levels citizen’s desire. NDACo takes direction on policy matters from our members. They will be meeting to set resolutions at our Annual Conference in October.”

Over 75 percent of North Dakotans voted down a similar effort in 2012. More recently, in the 2022 election, voters supported 84% of the levies and measures put forth by their local governments, showing that when citizens understand what they are getting for their tax dollars, they support them.

The deadline for submitting petition signatures to the Secretary of State is 120 days before the election at which the measure is to appear on the ballot or one year from the date the petition is approved for circulation. That means, to be on the ballot for the 2024 Primary election, signed petitions must be submitted prior to midnight on February 12, 2024. To be on the ballot in the 2024 General Election, petitions need to be submitted prior to midnight on July 8, 2024

The maximum time to allowed to gather petitions is one year from the date the petition is approved for circulation.

Ricky Becker of Bismarck, North Dakota is the chairperson of the sponsoring committee.