How a sales tax roller coaster could lead to property tax relief for South Dakotans

As the 2026 South Dakota legislative session winds down, the push for property tax relief is coalescing around plans to provide that relief with money from higher sales taxes, after lawmakers reduced sales taxes just three years ago. But how did we get here? Searchlight Report host Meghan O’Brien takes a look back at what pushed the state toward the need for property tax relief in recent years, the various ways lawmakers and leaders have tried to address the problem, and how the conversation about property taxes has consistently revolved around sales taxes.