property taxes

COMMENTARY
Forested land in the Black Hills. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

Open space is at the mercy of development and tax policy in the Black Hills

BY: - March 28, 2023

We’re all lucky to live in the Black Hills for its outdoor beauty. Those who enjoy driving through the Hills may not realize that in many cases the idyllic meadows, timber stands, and meandering streams on either side of the road are private land, very often designated as agricultural. Tree farms, or family owned and […]

Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at the Calvin Coolidge Foundation conference at the Library of Congress on Feb. 17, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Legislative Roundup: Noem says no three times, but leaves big questions unanswered

BY: and - March 10, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem has not vetoed the Legislature’s “historic” sales tax cut this week – which lawmakers passed Thursday in spite of her opposition – but she did flex her veto power. Noem issued her first veto on March 2, using a cattle “VETO” brand on a bill that would have allowed local business improvement […]

COMMENTARY
Reps. Mike Derby, R-Rapid City, left, and Chris Karr, R-Sioux Falls, shake hands after a $104 million tax cut passed the House unanimously on March 9, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber, South Dakota Searchlight)

‘Biggest tax cut ever’? Depends on how you slice it — and on Noem’s reaction

BY: - March 9, 2023

Some legislators are describing the $104 million sales tax reduction they adopted Thursday as the “biggest tax cut in state history.” But is that true?  The answer is complex. It might be more accurate to call the current proposal the state’s largest single tax cut in raw, unadjusted dollars. The qualifiers are necessary because of […]

From left, Rep. Kirk Chaffee, Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, two legislative staffers, and Rep. Will Mortenson take part in a conference committee March 7, 2023, on a property tax rebate bill alongside Sens. Casey Crabtree, Reynold Nesiba and Lee Schoenbeck (not pictured). (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Lawmakers focus on general sales tax reduction, defeating other tax cuts

BY: - March 7, 2023

PIERRE — Gov. Kristi Noem’s grocery tax repeal bill lived for only 17 hours after it was revived Monday. The House rejected the bill Tuesday morning. An hour later, legislative leaders from the House and Senate killed the property tax rebate program the Senate revived last week, with a suggestion to take a closer look […]

Gov. Kristi Noem speaks to reporters March 6, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

Senate revives Noem’s grocery tax repeal in session’s final week

BY: - March 6, 2023

PIERRE – The House and Senate are playing tug-of-war on tax cuts, with three days left before legislators leave the Capitol. After the House of Representatives whittled numerous tax cut proposals down to just one earlier this session, the Senate has revived two major competing proposals – including the Gov. Kristi Noem-backed elimination of the […]

The South Dakota Capitol Rotunda. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Legislative roundup: Tax talks go topsy-turvy, and the rest of the week’s action in Pierre

BY: , and - March 3, 2023

Anyone hoping for some measure of finality this week on the tax relief talks dominating the 2023 legislative session was almost certainly let down.  Those who relish the spectacle of late-session political ping-pong, however, had plenty to watch. Coming into the session, the state’s historic surplus – made possible by a combination of economic growth […]

Legislators in the Senate Chamber during the 2023 legislative session at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Senate passes property tax credits, setting up final-week scramble over tax relief

BY: - March 2, 2023

The state Senate complicated the Legislature’s tax-relief debate Thursday by approving legislation that would provide homeowners with an annual tax credit payment. The Senate passed a bill 31-2 that would send $425 to South Dakota homeowners each year as a way to relieve their property tax burden. The annual cost to the state’s general fund […]

Gov. Kristi Noem testifies in support of a bill that would have eliminated the state sales tax on groceries in front of the House Committee on Appropriations on Feb. 21, 2023, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Committee rejects Noem-backed grocery tax cut bill, moves forward with general tax cut

BY: - February 21, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem’s re-election campaign promise to eliminate the state sales tax on groceries died Tuesday morning in the House Committee on Appropriations, but the committee approved a bill to reduce state sales taxes across the board. The projected $102 million grocery tax repeal was rejected by an 8-1 vote. The committee also rejected a […]

From left, House Assistant Majority Leader Taylor Rehfeldt, Sioux Falls; House Majority Leader Will Mortenson, Pierre; Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree, Madison; and Senate Assistant Majority Leader Michael Diedrich, Rapid City, conduct a Republican leadership press conference during the 2023 legislative session at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Some Republicans look to ‘take care of our house’ before cutting taxes

BY: - February 18, 2023

PIERRE — Gov. Kristi Noem announced in her budget address two months ago that 2023 was the “right time” to cut taxes and eliminate the sales tax on food in South Dakota. Several legislators echoed that sentiment, flooding the agenda shortly after the 2023 legislative session began with more tax cut bills. But some legislators […]

A person climbs the stairs of the South Dakota Capitol. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Lawmakers heap competing tax cut bills on Appropriations Committee

BY: - February 11, 2023

The House Taxation Committee wasn’t willing to kill two tax cut bills during its Thursday morning meeting. Instead, the committee was forced to send the two bills to House Appropriations. The House Appropriations Committee will wrestle with at least six bills proposing various tax cuts for South Dakotans in the coming weeks. “I’m sure House […]

COMMENTARY
(Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

Salivating over a surplus: Tax cut proposals are enticing, but shortsighted

BY: - February 11, 2023

Most national news about the economy seems to be filled with worries about whether or not the nation is heading for a recession. In South Dakota, we’re worried about what to do with this avalanche of tax revenue. In this state, tax revenue projections are traditionally conservative. Lately, they have also been wildly inaccurate. In […]

The exterior of the Minnehaha County Juvenile Detention Center, pictured on Oct. 21, 2022. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Minnehaha County mulls $50 million juvenile detention center

BY: - October 25, 2022

SIOUX FALLS – Minnehaha County commissioners may soon ask property owners to foot the bill for a $50 million replacement of the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) in South Dakota’s largest city. A new Juvenile Justice Center would supplant the 53-year-old JDC with a modern facility twice as large. The project would add 14 beds for […]