Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Gov. Mike Braun joined a few hundred protestors at the Indiana Statehouse on Monday afternoon who demanded the Legislature pass widespread property-tax reform and threatened to vote out lawmakers who don’t deliver.
Many of those in the crowd, whose chants could heard throughout the Statehouse, wore green to symbolize the money they say is lost through property taxes. Many held up signs, both handwritten and printed, with sayings such as “Property tax is theft,” “My home is not your piggy bank,” and “Eliminate property taxes now.”
Dressed in his signature blue button-up shirt, Braun told the crowd he was rolling up his sleeves and would make sure Senate Bill 1, this year’s primary bill for property-tax relief, would be in “a good place.”
Braun advocated for a plan that would institute growth caps and expand the homestead deduction, but the Senate instead passed legislation last month that would slow property-tax growth and target relief to vulnerable demographics. Last week, Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Lizton, introduced yet another bill version that would overhaul the system and provide relief over time.
See Braun join protesters at the Statehouse.
The bill is on hold for a few weeks while the House Ways and Means Committee negotiates and finds common ground on an amendment.
Conservative WIBC-FM 93.1 radio hosts, advocates and politicians called out lawmakers who introduced or voted for a pared-down version of the original Senate Bill 1, which initially contained Braun’s ambitious plan.
“They want you to act like they’re doing something,” said Rob Kendall, WIBC talk show host and rally organizer. “As bad as [the Senate’s bill] was, it might be better than what the House came up with.”
The crowd broke out into several chants of “vote them out” and “primary” in a call to challenge incumbent lawmakers who don’t work to pass property-tax reform.
Speakers mentioned two Republican leaders by name: Thompson and President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville. The pair, along with Sen. Travis Holdman of Markle, have felt the brunt of constituent pushback because their favored legislation would not lower tax bills in 2026 but rather slow increases over time.
The primary hurdle for expansive property tax relief is the reluctance of local governments to cut millions of dollars out of their budgets. Local leaders warned that Braun’s proposal and the Senate’s plan would result in significant cuts to critical services.
Braun, who spoke largely without a script, said lawmakers need to get the message many of their constituents are asking for.
“I so often hear from the folks that we need to get [lawmakers’] minds right about real property-tax relief,” Braun said. “They say they’re not hearing it. Well, they’ll be hearing it today if they haven’t before.”
Also on hand were Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Reps. Craig Haggard of Mooresville, Andrew Ireland of Indianapolis and J.D. Prescott of Union City, who stirred the crowd with speeches as well.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.
So make property taxes higher so we can fix our roads?
Otherwise, I’m confused since we have the lowest in the mid west
We also have the lowest collection of roads that don’t appear to have been bombed by a military operation. I saw a pothole so large this weekend trying to go from 86th to Keystone that Rik Smits could have stood in the bottom and you wouldn’t have seen him.
The problem isn’t that taxes are too high. It’s that they’re too low and we’ve cut too far. I mean, look at the collection of intellect on stage rambling about tax cuts to people who actually spent their time to show up and listen. If that’s not a statement that we need to spend more on education, I don’t know what is.
taxes are too high. were you there?
nope…
Did I attend to listen to Rob Kendall and JD Prescott speak?
I could have stood in my house and stared at my pantry and gotten more useful information.
Oh there he is, in his “every man” blue shirt cosplay outfit. HE’S SUCH A COMPLETE PHONY, MULTIMILLIONAIRE TOOL.
What a fraud. Using taxpayer time and money to parade around and advocate for the pet project that benefits him personally? What an ass.
pet project? wake up man.
At least he came to work today – since he already announced he will be working from home in Jasper for the duration of his term
Why are the people who call for higher taxes often either govt. employees or the ones who pay little or no taxes at all.
Why are the people who call for lower taxes ALWAYS those who benefited from higher taxes for decades that paid for their infrastructure and their educations and their services and now they just want to pull the ladder up after themselves in their dying days because they don’t feel like doing for others … what their predecessors did for them?
there were over 1000 people there and none of them were paid protestors. anyone against fixing this system is a fool.
government is not the answer
I paid ~$475,000 in property taxes last year and I am still getting a deal at the current rates.
Just stating your opinion as fact does not make it actually true – looks like a severe case of TDS
I’d also like to remind you that in this current system, we’ve allowed local hospitals to buy all the nursing homes and divert the federal money intended for the care of the elderly to pay CEO salaries and build shiny new hospitals.
Meanwhile we are cutting spending on the Healthy Indiana Plan, pushing more and more people trying to make ends meet into only going to the ER, and we’ve decided to cut spending on the medically complex and those with autism as not worthy of adequate investment.
And that’s on top of a funding formula that is building really nice highways in the middle of nowhere while the places where people actually live have roads that are trash.
The taxes aren’t too high. They aren’t high enough. If you want to cut government spending, start with eliminating township government.
An average house in Martinsville pays less than $100/mo in property taxes. You couldn’t get me to drive to Indy and spend the day protesting for $100.
OK, I am listening. Eliminate Property Tax.
Now, tell me how you are going to pay for roads, schools, fire/police/medical, infrastructure, maintenance, parks, libraries… The list goes on.
Exactly. The problem is that they want lower/no property taxes — but also decent roads, cops and fire departments that arrive when they need them, parks and libraries in good condition, etc. Capping/limiting growth of property taxes is the best compromise the legislators have.