Jim Vokal of the Platte Institute paid a visit to the River City Republicans at the Pizza Ranch at 72nd and Center to talk about taxes in Nebraska. The Platte Institute is a “free market think tank” headquartered in Omaha and was founded by Pete Ricketts in 2007. There are a number of tax reform bills before the Nebraska legislature, among them one for the “EPIC” tax, which would replace multiple taxes, including property tax, with a state-wide sales tax. Vokal said the Platte Institute did not support this bill and instead supported LB1264, which focuses on eliminating sales tax exemptions, which Vokal said would double the amount of taxable revenue to the legislature (approximately an additional $6 billion). He also briefly mentioned income-based property tax credits that home owners could apply for but were often unaware of.
Following Vokal’s talk was a Q&A session. Local real estate magnate PJ Morgan spoke extensively on Omaha’s mask mandate and pro-profit hospitals spending money on ads while paying no property taxes.
