The hoopskirt that is the idea of eliminating the business personal property tax hasn't quite run its course and disappeared at the statehouse, but as originally proposed by the governor it's no longer fashionable, even among many Republicans.
It was never favored by Democrats, but as there are so few Democrats in the Legislature these days whether they support something doesn't really matter.
From the outset we spotted this call for eliminating the tax for what it was — an attempt by the governor to get the attention of GOP activists and re-energize his chances for the 2016 presidential nomination, or at least to put him in contention for a spot on the ticket.
Championing a $1-billion tax cut would surely to goodness get Mr. Pence back into the Fox News spotlight.
Whether it has we can't say, not being regular viewers of Fox News.
We can say that the proposal has gotten the notice of the public (of both those who are loyal Fox News followers and those who prefer their propaganda with a more-liberal slant and hold by MSNBC), which questions why businesses should be getting yet another tax break.
Especially taking notice of the governor's proposal have been locally-elected public officials — Democrat and Republican — who understand just how devastating eliminating the tax would be and have started speaking out against it.
The city and county councils have both recently gone on record as opposed to the governor's plan, and on Monday the Vincennes school board is likewise expected to adopt a resolution stating its opposition.
The governor's position is that eliminating the tax will save state businesses over $1 billion and make them more competitive with businesses in neighboring states — although there's no real evidence supporting that view.
There is evidence of the harm that would be done to local governments and the public schools if that $1 billion went away — evidence gleaned from the experiences of local governments and public schools in coping with the effects of the property-tax caps.
Understand that the tax revenue at stake here is not state money at all but local money — money that schools use to invest in computers to help students acquire the skills for those high-tech jobs for which we're told there is such a shortage of qualified applicants; money that's used to provide fire and police protection for the very property on which the tax is levied; money that can ultimately be invested in infrastructure improvements to better serve existing businesses as well as attract new development to a community.
GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate have come up with their own plans to make state businesses more competitive: the House version would kick the can on down the road and let each county decide whether it wants to eliminate the business personal property tax, while a Senate plan would eliminate the tax for small businesses and also further reduce the corporate tax rate by about 25 percent.
The governor said if the Senate plan were to be adopted he'd be willing to make up the loss in local tax revenues from state coffers — roughly $54 million.
We recall another governor who promised public schools he'd make sure any money they lost from the state's taking over responsibility for their General Funds would be replaced — a commitment school officials are still waiting, with growing anxiety, to see fulfilled — so if there's an extra $54 million lying around at the Statehouse shouldn't it be going to the schools?
We don't mind that the governor has national political ambitions; we didn't mind it so much with Evan Bayh, either, who frankly had better prospects for higher office than does the current occupant.
We do mind when a governor, either a Democrat or a Republican, puts his own personal ambition ahead of what's best for the state as a whole.