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Tax break dispute raises old question for Nebraska lawmakers

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A dispute over taxes is drawing new attention to an old question Nebraska lawmakers have to answer every year: Who gets a break, and who has to pay?

The issue surfaced last week as lawmakers debated sales tax exemptions for zoos and an $800,000 property tax break for the Woodmen of the World Insurance Society, a prominent insurance firm in downtown Omaha.

Critics say the exemptions deprive state and local governments of revenue and force other Nebraska taxpayers to make up the difference.

Senator Mike Gloor, chairman of the Revenue Committee, says more than half of the 92 bills the committee heard this session involved some form of tax break, but few were sent to the floor. Gloor says the public doesn't realize how many requests senators get every year.

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