Hoosier voters will be asked Tuesday whether they favor amending the Indiana Constitution to include property tax caps on residential, agricultural and business property.
If approved, it would limit a taxpayer's annual property tax bill to the following percentages of gross assessed value: 1 percent for owner-occupied residences; 2 percent for residential property other than owner-occupied, as well as apartment and agricultural land; and 3 percent for businesses.
Limiting the amount of property taxes we pay has a nice ring to it. Putting that restriction within the protection of the constitution may sound even better.
But in reality, it's an irresponsible move.
It is more political than anything. Gov. Mitch Daniels and Republicans in the General Assembly are backing the constitutional question.
Statehouse Democrats oppose the constitutional question. And most municipalities and libraries -- which rely on property taxes to provide services -- also are opposed to putting the caps in the constitution.
The reality is that there is no need to do so. Those caps already are in place. They became state law this year. It's too soon to feel the full effect of the caps.
There are those who say the caps should be in the constitution because it is too easy to change state law. But state law sometimes needs to be changed -- for a variety of unforeseen reasons.
In contrast, a change to the constitution is a laborious process, requiring the approval of two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly and a statewide referendum.
The caps already have forced local governmental units to cut the fat. That's fine. But when such restrictions impact law enforcement and public safety, there's a problem.
Property tax reform is something for which our elected officials should be responsible. Slipping it into the constitution is misguided fiscal policy.