MINOT — Rep. Ben Koppelman supports Measure 4, the constitutional measure that, despite widespread reporting, would not abolish property taxes but only prohibit our current ad valorem tax on real estate value. Koppelman, a West Fargo-based disciple of Measure 4 organizer Rick Becker who aspires to be the next House Majority Leader in Bismarck, doesn't seem very confident that the measure will pass.
He was in Minot recently at a gathering hosted by the Center for the American Experiment, described by the Minot Daily News as a Minnesota-based "think tank," though it can be hard to discern how much that group's work product has to do with thought. That group, in an attempt to influence North Dakota's legislative races, has been touting ratings for North Dakota lawmakers that punished them based on their propensity for bipartisanship, a metric with all the substance of fairy dust and unicorn meat. But back to the matter at hand.
At this event, Koppelman, tacitly expressing doubts that Measure 4 will succeed, tossed out some ideas for property tax reforms for lawmakers to implement should voters reject the ballot proposal. Among them? A tax on property size instead of value. ADVERTISEMENT “How many square feet is our building? How much square feet is your land? Does it really matter if your house is built in 1960 and mine is built in 2020 and we both need the same police, fire protection and streets? I think not,” Koppelman told the audience in Minot.
“Why would we tax me .