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State Representative Tim Faust
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0518
For more information contact: Chris Shields 651-296-8873
NEWS COLUMN
DELIVERING ON THE BASICS
During last year's campaign, I told you I would be "sticking to the basics". I promised you that my top priorities would be fair and equitable school funding, affordable health care, and permanent property tax relief. Last week we began delivering on the basics by announcing the Minnesota House's budget targets.
These budget targets give finance committees a roadmap for their parts of the state's budget. For the next few weeks these committees will make important decisions about what gets included in budget bills. Even though there's no smoking at the Capitol, these are the "smoke filled rooms" where major decisions are made. I will be representing our district on two finance committees, K-12 Education and Agriculture, something rare for a first-term legislator and unprecedented for our district. I would like to take the opportunity to explain what the budget targets mean for our area and our state.
Let's talk about health care first. I've always said that our health care goal should be every Minnesotan with access to affordable health care. The budget targets give us a chance to start by covering the 70,000 Minnesota children without health insurance within 4 years. By insuring children, we can get them the preventative care that can avoid the emergency room visits and expensive operations that drive health care costs up for everyone. It's also the morally right thing to do.
Getting our fair share of K-12 education funding is another top priority. We'll have $919 million in new K-12 education investments to work with in our committee. Our bill will likely include state funding for schools that provide voluntary all-day kindergarten. This will encourage schools that don't have all-day K to offer it without breaking the bank. Schools that already offer all-day K, like many in our area, won't have to dip into general budgets or charge parents. We'll also fund stable increases in the state K-12 formula, allowing schools to do a better job budgeting and rely less on local property taxes.
And finally, let's talk about property taxes. The budget targets will provide for $535 million in significant, permanent statewide property tax relief and reform. You've probably already had it up to here with property tax increases. I know that I have. Property taxes are unfair and don't take into account ability to pay. It's dishonest to say taxes haven't gone up when property taxes have gone up by nearly $2 billion since 2003.
By now you're probably wondering how we're going to pay for this. It's an honest question that deserves an honest answer. We'll start by cracking down on companies who operate in Minnesota but avoid paying taxes by having financial headquarters in places like the Bahamas. We'll also make sure individuals actually pay the taxes they owe.
Finally, we'll reduce property taxes by creating a new top income tax bracket for married couples who after deductions make more than $400,000 a year and individuals who make more than $226,000. In fact, if you factor in all taxes, the wealthiest Minnesotans pay a lower percentage of their total income than middle-class Minnesotans do. Every penny generated by this new bracket for the wealthiest Minnesotans will go to permanent property tax relief for all Minnesotans.
We are going to deliver on the basics with better schools, more affordable health care, and a fair tax system. As always, I want to hear your comments on this or any other issue. You can call me at 651-296-0518 or send an e-mail at rep.tim.faust@house.mn.
News Items
- Kyle Herman Bill Signed into Law - (Posted: 2010-04-28 00:00:00)
- To Students, Teachers, and Parents: Have a great year - (Posted: 2009-09-14 00:00:00)
- LEGISLATIVE SESSION CONCLUDES - (Posted: 2009-05-19 00:00:00)
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