© 2026. The Trustees of Indiana University
Copyright Complaints
1229 East Seventh Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47405
News, Arts and Culture from WFIU Public Radio and WTIU Public Television
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gov. Mike Braun signs 'historic' property tax relief bill into law, critics call it a 'lose-lose'

Gov. Mike Braun signed SEA 1, the major property tax reform legislation, into law on April 15, 2025.
Gov. Mike Braun signed SEA 1, the major property tax reform legislation, into law on April 15, 2025.

Indiana’s major property tax reform package is now law, as Gov. Mike Braun signed the measure Tuesday.

In a statement  on social media, Braun called the legislation “historic tax relief” that benefits nearly every Hoosier.

Beginning next year,  Senate Enrolled Act 1 creates a new property tax credit of 10 percent of a homeowner’s bill, up to $300. It adds additional credits for older Hoosiers and veterans. It eventually exempts most businesses from the business personal property tax, a tax on equipment. And it slightly changes how farmland is assessed, to help bring down farmers’ property taxes.

READ MORE: Senate gives final approval to major property tax reform bill, sends it to governor

Join the conversation and sign up for our weekly text group:  the Indiana Two-Way . Your comments and questions help us find the answers you need on statewide issues, including our project  Civically, Indiana  and our  2025 bill tracker .

But in a statement, Rep. Greg Porter (D-Indianapolis) said all that will cost local governments and schools up to  $1.8 billion in funding over just the next three years.

To help balance that, the measure gives locals new income tax tools. And that prompted Porter to call the bill a “lose-lose” that tries to shift the blame for taxes to local communities.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at  bsmith@ipbs.org  or follow him on Twitter at  @brandonjsmith5 .

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.