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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Michael Howard 651-296-8873
NEWS COLUMN
Tax Conformity Bill Reduces Confusion for Minnesota Taxpayers
Every year my wife Missy and I wish that we'd done a better job of keeping our receipts and paperwork for our personal taxes. And every year we find ourselves digging through piles of papers in March and April, pledging to start earlier next year.
Federal and state tax laws are complex sets of rules and guidelines that continuously grow and change. It's difficult to keep up with the new changes especially when there are so many differences between the federal laws and the state laws.
That is why members of the state legislature worked together to quickly pass a federal tax conformity bill early in the session. The tax bill includes federal conformity laws that should help reduce confusion and provide some of the tax benefits that you expect and deserve. It passed on a vote of 132-1 and was quickly signed into law by the governor.
The tax conformity bill conforms Minnesota's income tax to most federal changes enacted since 2006. Clear and consistent rules should help reduce taxpayer confusion and frustration and make it easier for you to file your taxes. The principal federal changes that are now reflected in the state are:
· Allowance of IRA contributions by members of the military with income primarily from non-taxable combat pay;
· Allowance of direct transfers to charities from traditional IRA's and Roth IRA's;
· Makes permanent the increases in contribution limits to various retirement plans (IRA's, 401 (k)'s) that were increased on a temporary basis in earlier federal laws;
· Provides a new itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums.
There are many good local professionals who can prepare your taxes, but I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that there are resources available to help with free tax preparation and e-file services as well. The Department of Revenue coordinates volunteers across the state to help prepare federal and state tax returns for senior citizens, disabled citizens, and individuals with an income of $30,000 or less ($40,000 or less for families). If you meet these criteria and need help filing your tax returns, or know somebody who does, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.
To schedule an appointment for these free tax preparation services, please call (952) 933-9639 ext.211 or log on to www.taxes.state.mn.us/vita/free_tax_prep.shtml.
I filled out my basketball and hockey brackets and am sad to report that things aren't looking well for me, but March Madness and tournament time did remind me that I wanted to say congratulations to the Hill Murray boy's hockey team. There was much banter from various members of the Minnesota House and staff last month about the various teams here in St. Paul. As a North High graduate it was sometimes hard to cheer for Hill Murray, but in the end our local school won with a proud community cheering them along, myself included. They played great hockey and I'm proud to say that one of the most sought after trophies in high school sports now resides in Maplewood. Congratulations.
Speaking of Hill Murray and sports tournaments, there is an interesting group of people who get together to play hockey. Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Hill Murray star Sean Regan and myself are all part of the group. Regan was and still is a great player. You would think that differing political views would be our biggest divisions, but our alma maters are actually larger sticking points. The Governor graduated from South St. Paul High, Regan from Hill Murray and myself from North High. We try to look past our differences and have some fun. You might even be surprised to hear that everyone has been playing nice… so far.
Please feel free to contact me with questions and comments. It is important for me to hear from you so that I can accurately represent you. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-1188, by mail at 353 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn.
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