Revenue-neutral property tax law is helping, but taxpayers need more legislative action
GUEST COLUMN, Dave Trabert, Kansas Policy Institute
Most homeowners and businesses have been hammered with large property tax increases across the U.S., as many local officials have taken advantage of runaway assessed valuations over the last two or three years. The same is true in some parts of Kansas, but the Truth in Taxation / revenue-neutral law passed in 2021 is producing smaller increases in many counties.
Data from the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show property tax increases for the operation of local government entities in 76 counties were at or below inflation over the last three years. The Consumer Price Index for Midwest cities increased by 17.8 percent between 2020 and 2023. For this purpose, local government includes everything except school districts and other educational entities.


