LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska legislative committee is nearly finished with its proposal to lower property taxes by raising other taxes and boosting state aid to K-12 public schools.
Members of the Revenue Committee continued debate Monday on their package, but it’s not clear whether every member will support it. Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, the committee’s chairwoman, says she hopes to vote on it Tuesday.
The package would reduce property taxes by an average of 20 percent, although the exact amount would vary throughout Nebraska.
The bill would pay for it by eliminating $98.7 million in sales tax exemptions on 31 goods and services, including junk food, pop and bottled water, dry cleaning, hair care and dating and escort services. It also would impose a half-cent sales tax increase and raise cigarette taxes.