Frontier Institute statement in support of SB 212

Transparency will Empower Taxpayers to Responsibly Limit Government Growth

Today the Frontier Institute offered support for SB 212, a bill which increases voter transparency about the growth of local governments.

SB 212, proposed by Senator Ryan Osmondson of Buffalo, follows Frontier Institute’s recommendations to encourage fiscally conservative limits on government growth. SB 212 will shine a light on the growth of local government property taxes, empowering voters to ensure that their government is only growing and spending within the means of taxpayers.

“Placing fiscally conservative limits on the growth of local governments will help protect taxpayers from sky-high property taxes,” said Kendall Cotton, President and CEO of the Frontier Institute. “Empowering voters with more information about revenue growth will help them ensure that government is spending within its means and not taxing too much.”

SB 212 specially requires that information about the last 10 years of government growth in comparison to the growth of the economy be presented to voters when asked to approve property tax increases. This allows voters to measure and compare the growth of local governments and make better decisions about limiting growth.

The Frontier Institute has recommended the growth of inflation adjusted for population as the maximum limit for fiscally conservative government growth.