Dear Neighbors,
You’re going to hear a lot of misinformation in the coming months regarding property tax rates as lawmakers discuss ways we can bring much needed relief to taxpayers across Minnesota.
The thing many folks forget is that the state does not set local property taxes—counties, cities, and townships do. While lawmakers in St. Paul do not set your property tax rates, there are steps that state government can take to help offset rising property taxes.
Some lawmakers believe that if we simply continue to tax and spend, we can bring property taxes under control.
For example, two years ago, taxes were increased by $2.1 billion dollars for every income level. Nevertheless, local governments still raised their property tax levies by $121 million. Additionally, despite lawmakers giving local governments hundreds of millions of new dollars, property tax levies still increased. In fact, the following year, even after property tax credits were dispersed, property taxes (not just levies but the property taxes we all pay) INCREASED $250 million.
The belief that we can tax and spend our way to fix soaring property tax rates is simply untrue.
Instead, we should look for more nuanced approaches.
That’s why I voted to use a part of our surplus to offset a half of the school construction levy property tax for all Minnesota farmland; pass the Property Taxpayers’ Empowerment Act, a proposal that empowers voters with the ability to reverse overwhelming property tax increases that officials ask for as a result of runaway spending; and cut the state general tax, which is a state property tax that all local businesses pay in addition to their local property taxes.
I remain committed to finding ways to reduce Minnesotans’ tax burden and look forward to continuing this work in the coming legislative session.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me to share your thoughts on this topic or any other legislative matter. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-4929 or via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Jeff