Taxes

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)

‘You get what you pay for’ with government services

BY: - August 23, 2023

The scene was a District 7 legislative cracker barrel in Brookings, circa 2011 or thereabouts. The lawmakers on hand were two Republicans, Sen. Larry Tidemann and Rep. Scott Munsterman, and one Democrat, Rep. Spencer Hawley.  Near the end of the allotted time for the cracker barrel, Tidemann and Munsterman remained seated but they were taking […]

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

Public defender recommendation won’t provide relief to cash-strapped counties, legislator says

BY: - August 16, 2023

A task force studying costly legal services recommended a state public defender’s office last month to ease the burden on counties when defendants can’t afford a lawyer. But Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, a member of the task force, told legislators during a separate study committee meeting on county funding issues Wednesday in Pierre that the […]

The South Dakota House of Representatives chamber at the Capitol in Pierre. (Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight)

SD has lowest per capita tax burden in the region; highest sales tax burden, report says

BY: - August 7, 2023

South Dakota residents bear the lowest tax burden per capita in the region, according to a report shared with lawmakers Monday. But residents also bear the region’s heaviest sales tax burden. The Legislative Research Council, which provides legal and fiscal analysis for lawmakers, shared the report with the South Dakota Legislature’s Executive Board during a […]

Amazon Public Relations Manager Scott Seroka explains a sorting system during a tour of the company's Sioux Falls fulfilment center on Feb. 16, 2023. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Impact of landmark sales tax case difficult to calculate five years later

BY: - July 21, 2023

South Dakota has pulled in more than $416 million in sales tax revenue from “remote sellers” since winning a case in the U.S. Supreme Court over the right to collect it. That figure, however, does not represent the financial impact of South Dakota vs. Wayfair, which five years ago paved the way for states all […]

COMMENTARY
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)

South Dakota’s ‘tax holiday’ may be shorter than expected

BY: - July 4, 2023

Recently a news release from Gov. Kristi Noem heralded a “tax holiday” that started on July 1. On that date, the state sales tax dipped from 4.5% to 4.2%. If that doesn’t sound like a big savings, that’s because it’s not. At the new rate, spend $100 and you’ll save 30 cents on your sales […]

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Checks are in the mail to more than 14,000 South Dakotans for TurboTax settlement

BY: - May 8, 2023

More than 14,000 South Dakotans will soon get a check in the mail for their share of a multi-state settlement with Intuit, the owner of the TurboTax online tax preparation service. Eligible South Dakotans are expected to receive about $30 apiece. The state’s total share of the settlement is $444,456.88. The total, nationwide $141 million […]

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IRS slated to hire thousands of workers, boost audits of wealthy taxpayers

BY: - April 6, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday detailed its plan to spend $80 billion in additional funding that Democrats approved last year as part of their climate change and health care package.  The plan says the agency will boost tax enforcement by increasing its “focus on segments of taxpayers with complex issues and complex […]

U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, speaks after a Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 28, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Congressional Roundup: Thune proposes permanent estate tax repeal

BY: - April 2, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series of periodic updates on the activities of South Dakota’s congressional delegation. — Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, introduced legislation last week to repeal the federal estate tax, which he calls the “death tax.”  The bill is supported by 40 Republican cosponsors, but no Democrats. The estate tax […]

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 attends an event Oct. 12, 2022, at a Sioux Falls grocery store. (John Hult/SD Searchlight)

Noem signs temporary tax reduction into law, vows to fight for permanent tax cut

BY: - March 21, 2023

After weeks of veto threats, Gov. Kristi Noem signed what some have called the “largest tax cut in state history” into law Tuesday. The move reduces the state sales tax from 4.5% to 4.2%, cutting an estimated $104 million from state revenues in the first year of implementation. But the tax cut has a sunset […]

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)

Noem signs $7.4 billion budget despite previous threats

BY: - March 20, 2023

Gov. Kristi Noem signed the state’s fiscal year 2024 budget into law Monday, providing for increased funding to the “Big Three” state obligations and 100% tuition coverage for National Guard members, among other funding decisions. Noem had made veiled threats in recent weeks to veto the budget because legislators chose to pursue a different tax […]

COMMENTARY
Gov. Kristi Noem delivers her annual budget address Dec. 6, 2022, at the Capitol in Pierre. (Makenzie Huber/SD Searchlight)

Noem’s next move will reveal her level of tax-cut commitment

BY: - March 20, 2023

Will she or won’t she? After she signed the budget bill on Monday, that’s what South Dakota lawmakers have to be asking themselves right now as they wonder whether Gov. Kristi Noem will veto the state sales tax reduction they endorsed. At the end of the legislative session, lawmakers compromised on a state sales tax […]