Indiana’s Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith is calling for a moratorium on the state’s 7-percent sales tax on utility bills, saying Hoosiers are getting hammered by skyrocketing rates.
A state survey shows electric bills are up sharply — 20 percent higher for Duke customers, 25 percent higher for CenterPoint, and NIPSCO customers now pay about $234 a month — the highest in the state.
Beckwith says pausing the tax won’t fix everything but would give families some relief.
Legislative leaders aren’t on board. House Appropriations Chair Jeff Thompson warns it could blow a hole in the state budget, and Senate Tax Chair Travis Holdman flatly called the idea “not doable.”
Consumer advocates like the Citizens Action Coalition support the moratorium but say lawmakers must still address the root causes of rising rates.
Credit: Indiana Capital Chronicle