GeTtin’ SALTy Episode 80 | The Real Cost of Eliminating Property Taxes
In this episode of the GeTtin’ SALTy podcast, host Nikki E. Dobay is joined by Jared Walczak, Senior Fellow at the Tax Foundation and founder of Walczak Policy Consulting, to take a look at the growing movement to reduce or eliminate real property taxes across the United States.
The conversation centers on Jared’s recently published paper, “Replacing the Irreplaceable,” released through the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, which uses Ohio as a case study to quantify what it would cost to eliminate the property tax – and what replacing that revenue would require.
The discussion also addresses the challenge of redistributing replacement revenue back to local governments, the erosion of local fiscal accountability, and the perverse incentives created by assessment caps in states like Florida and Oregon.
Jared and Nikki explore targeted, less disruptive alternatives – such as levy limits, circuit breakers, and deferral programs – that can address legitimate hardships without dismantling property taxes.
The episode closes with a look at Florida’s pending ballot measure on a dramatically expanded homestead exemption and the downstream consequences it may produce for renters, newer homebuyers, and local governments.