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State Representative John Benson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9934
For more information contact: Charlene Briner 651-296-5809
Column/LTE
RECORD PROPERTY TAXES PROJECTED FOR COMING YEAR
To the Editor:
This week, the non-partisan House Research Office released a report projecting that under current law, Minnesotans can expect to see the biggest single property tax increase in Minnesota history, over $600 million in 2008. This comes on top of $1.7 billion in increases over the last five years. In southwestern Hennepin County, projections are equally grim - over $50 million dollars in property tax increases, much of it to make up for deficient state school funding.
Nobody likes higher taxes. But increasingly our state government has chosen to rely on higher property taxes to fund our schools, public services and pay for unfunded state mandates. That's where property taxes fall short. They're inefficient and unfair, because a disproportionate burden falls on seniors and other people who live on moderate or fixed-incomes, rather than on ability to pay. And even with additional property taxes, schools struggle to maintain quality programs and are being forced to increase class sizes and cut programs. In some parts of Minnesota, essential public safety services have been slashed as a result of the state's penny-pinching.
The debate emerging at the Capitol is this; should we continue to shift the burden of government onto local property taxes, or is there a better way to pay for the things we value? Should local property taxpayers carry a growing burden for providing operating dollars for schools, for building and maintaining roadways, or for unfunded state and federal mandates?
Minnesota property taxpayers are carrying a heavy load for things like schools, health care, public safety and transportation, and have suffered from the flaws of a poorly crafted state budget as a result. We can do better.
Sincerely,
State Representative John Benson
House District 43B
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