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State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
THEY ARE AT IT AGAIN
By Tom Hackbarth
State Representative
The Democrats in charge of the Senate have just come out with their budget solving plan. It should be no surprise they’re proposing over $2 billion in tax increases. They’re doing their best to paint the picture the “rich” don’t pay their fair share of taxes.
But what is rich? Most people think of the “rich” as making millions of dollars every year. But according to some Democrat proposals, if you’re married and you make a combined income of $130,000 you are “rich”. That’s the salary of two people that have been in their job for 15 years.
If the Democrats think we can tax our way out of this $6.3 billion budget deficit, let’s look at the facts.
FACT: It would take a 111% tax increase on only the top bracket of income earners to balance the budget without reducing the size of government.
FACT: It would take a 31% income tax increase on ALL MINNESOTANS to balance the budget without reducing the size of government.
FACT: A new 9.7% income tax rate for incomes greater than $250,000 only brings in $357 million every year.
FACT: Going back to the 1998 income tax rates only generates $180 million every year.
So instead of taxing you more let’s get to the root of the problem. Let’s stop the wasteful spending in St. Paul. We need to stop spending the $6.3 billion the state cannot afford. Let’s get back to the basic common sense budgeting principles that everyone else follows: Do not spend more money than you take in.
As we move forward this session make sure you’re voice is heard. Be active and vocal about your feelings on tax increases. Let’s remind the Democrats that we cannot afford to have more money taken out of our wallets. We’re stretched already. Let’s fix the problem, and not tax ourselves into a bigger one.
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