The positions of the Republican gubernatorial candidates regarding taxes

Indianapolis, Indiana – While all six of the Republicans running for governor agree to reduce taxes, they differ on the specifics.

Republican voters will choose between Sen. Mike Braun, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, former Attorney General Curtis Hill, former IEDC heads Eric Doden and Brad Chambers, and first-time candidate Jamie Reitenour on Tuesday.

More than anything else, the six candidates’ differences in tax policy recommendations are evident. They range from cutting property taxes to doing away with the income tax to raising the gas tax to levels it was in 2018. The discussion takes place in advance of a possible legislative proposal to do away with the state’s income tax, while a state legislative committee is now examining the whole tax code.

When Crouch declared in August that, should she be elected, she would do away with Indiana’s income tax, she became the first contender to present a tax proposal. She stated that she will phase in any such changes based on if the state satisfies specific performance benchmarks during a live, televised event on March 27.

“As former vice chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, as former Auditor of State, we can absolutely do it,” she said. “We have to limit government growth. We have to end wasteful government spending. And then we have to find efficiencies in government.”

Crouch’s opponents have criticized her proposal as unfeasible and have primarily directed their attention toward property taxes. In addition to allowing homeowners to transfer the homestead property tax credit to a new residence if they move within the state, Chambers has suggested streamlining and standardizing property tax assessments. He added that he wants to prolong until the 2025 tax year the property tax relief that lawmakers passed during the 2023 session.

“You need to look at all taxes. I believe the best way is to grow our economy, put more money in people’s pockets, and government can actually be smaller and taxes can go down,” he said.

Braun has pointed to his prior legislative and business record rather than providing as many details as his competitors. He promised that in addition to budget cuts in all state agencies, he will collaborate with the legislature to lower taxes, particularly property taxes.

“If you want to do it, who do you think is going to have the best ability to actually lower it by getting in, getting your hands dirty, going into all 30 agencies, give or take, and with the experience where you’ve done it in your own career?” he said.

Doden and Reitenour have both concentrated particularly on senior property tax relief. According to Doden, he would postpone any increases in taxes due until a person sells their house and freeze the payment levels for seniors.

“The most important tax that I hear out there is our property tax for seniors,” he said. “and our seniors on fixed income are telling me that there’s a possibility that they could lose their home. And I just think that’s wrong.”

Reitenour took things a bit beyond. She declared in an interview with News 8 that she would completely do away with property taxes for everyone 65 years of age or older. Additionally, she’s looking for a means to set tax rates at the original purchase price of a house.

“Really, this conversation needs to take place on the local level and at the state level,” she said. “Property taxes are constantly increasing and it’s really become a burden for many residents in the state of Indiana.”

With his more focused calls, Hill is the only contender other than Crouch to openly advocate for income tax reduction. Under his proposal, individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 would no longer be subject to the state income tax, while those over 65 would no longer have their retirement benefits income taxed. In addition, Hill wants to restore the gas tax to its pre-2018 levels and lower the corporate income tax rate from 4.9% to 3.5%.

“We have a gas tax that goes up a penny each year. We can put 16 cents a gallon at the pump for every Hoosier by repealing back the gas tax to pre-2018 levels,” he said.

On Monday, early voting is open until noon. Tuesday is the primary.