Taxing lawyers, docs, Realtors

Your lawyer probably isnâ??t complaining. Neither would your doctor, Realtor or accountant.

In all the talk about reforming property taxes, hardly a word has been said about shifting some of the property tax burden
to services.

That means some of the most lucrative potential sources of revenue may stay off the table during the General Assemblyâ??s short
session, which begins tomorrow.

Steve Johnson, the former CEO of the nonpartisan Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute, thinks itâ??s unrealistic to think legislators
would take up the issue while it deals with property taxes and reforming local government. But he insists it should come up,
if not now, then in the next few years.

The state hasnâ??t broadened its tax base in a meaningful way since it added a sales tax in the 1960s, Johnson points out.

Previous attempts to tax services were quickly slapped down by lobbyists, but, Johnson adds, â??It eventually is going to have
to come to a head and be seriously discussed.â??

Should Indiana tax services?