Property tax cut should be prioritized over income tax relief

Fargo, North Dakota – The mayor of Fargo is speaking out on what he thinks should be the top priority when it comes to tax relief for residents of North Dakota.

“Property Tax touches more people in a manner in which you feel it,” said Mayor Tim Mahoney while appearing on The Flag’s What’s on Your Mind program. “If people are on a fixed income, the average increase price of a house is 5% a year over a ten-year period, wouldn’t it be nice to have a 5% reduction of your property tax to help you stay in your home.”

Mahoney pointed out that a combination approach to assist with property taxes and income taxes may also be highly received by individuals not only in Fargo but throughout the state.

“If you can balance that (Income Tax relief) with the state taking that 5% off property taxes, then I think that is a better match than just Income Tax relief on its own.”

The mayor of Fargo also spoke about his opposition to a piece of legislation being proposed in Bismarck that would eliminate the city of Fargo’s approval voting mechanism.

According to Mahoney, certain legal complications might prevent the state from outlawing approval voting, in which voters check the boxes of all the candidates they choose for a particular job. He claims that individual cities should make the final choice or that petitions to do away with approval voting might be submitted in those cities.