Pillar B · Economy
Taxes, Spending, and Budget
“Government should live within the means of the people it serves.”
Protect South Dakota's no-income-tax foundation. Aggressive property tax relief. Stop the headcount-and-spending growth that's quietly inflating Pierre.
Where I stand
- No state income tax. Period.
- Real property tax relief. Support SB 96 (2025), the county-option mechanism that does not raise the statewide sales tax base.
- Reform SB 245 (2025) so property tax relief does not depend on a sales tax increase. Stand with the families and small businesses who would pay that hike.
- Oppose appropriation growth like HB 1326 (2026), which passed the House 50-17 and the Senate 25-9.
- No corporate carveouts that pick winners and losers.
Pushback, answered
The hard questions, answered straight.
These are the real objections this position gets, with the same answers Zac gives in person. No talking points. No dodges.
“Property tax cuts mean schools lose funding. Are you against education?”
Property tax relief does not mean cutting school funding. It means finding better ways to fund schools than taxing homeowners out of their homes. SB 245 uses existing sales tax revenue for relief. SB 96 allows counties to choose sales tax over property tax. There are multiple ways to fund schools that do not punish seniors on fixed incomes or young families.
“The state needs that revenue to function. You can't just cut without cutting services.”
The 2026 G-Bill added $80 million and twenty-six new state employees in one year. That is not the foundation of essential services. That is growth for growth's sake. When I talk about spending discipline, I mean asking hard questions about every new dollar and every new position.
“No income tax means we rely on sales tax, which hits the poor hardest.”
The best protection for working families is keeping the overall tax burden low. A state income tax has never reduced the sales tax anywhere it has been tried. It has simply stacked one on top of the other. South Dakota's no-income-tax status keeps more money in working families' hands.
“You opposed SB 63, the apprenticeship office. Don't you care about workforce development?”
I fully support workforce development. What I oppose is creating a new state office with seven new employees and an $830,000 annual price tag funded only for two years with no plan for year three. Workforce development can be pursued through existing agencies and private partnerships.
“Data center tax incentives bring jobs. Aren't you against economic development?”
Economic development that gives tax breaks to massive corporations while raising the burden on homeowners is not economic development. It is corporate welfare. Real economic development grows the tax base broadly, not by privileging a handful of favored industries.
“Property tax relief sounds great, but how do you actually make it permanent?”
Through three steps. First, structural reform that caps the growth of assessed valuations. Second, shifting some school funding off of local property tax and onto the state. Third, long-term spending discipline. No single bill fixes this. A sustained plan does.