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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tim Miller (R)

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REP. MILLER DISAPPOINTED IN GOVERNOR DAYTON’S MIDDLE CLASS TAX RELIEF VETO

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

ST. PAUL – A plan that would have provide $800 million in tax relief to middle class Minnesotans has been vetoed by Governor Dayton. State Representative Tim Miller (R-Prinsburg) said the bill had previously been approved by 89 percent of Democrats and Republicans in the legislature.

 

“The governor’s action is truly disappointing as we had a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on this proposal,” Miller said. “Hundreds of thousands of hardworking Minnesotans will now continue to lose more of their paychecks thanks to Governor Dayton’s obstructionism.”

 

Among the victims due to the governor’s veto: parents through a lost expansion of the working family tax credit and the childcare tax credit; Main Street business owners with the elimination of a repeal of the commercial-industrial property tax off their first $100,000 of property value - which could have saved the average business owner roughly $1,000 a year; farmers through the exclusion of property tax relief from school bond levies; and college graduates thanks to the rejection of the student loan tax credit.

 

Miller said Dayton vetoed the bill despite agreement from Republicans to make two changes he requested to fix a drafting error and restore a small sales tax exemption. The governor also claimed he would not hold the tax bill hostage to special session negotiations. Yet following the veto, Dayton stated the legislature must provide him with an “acceptable” bonding bill before he would call a special session, and would not bring lawmakers back to St. Paul just to address tax relief.

 

“There’s nothing I can do if the governor wants to play political games,” Miller said. “All I can do is fight for the needs of west-central Minnesotans, and these folks have told me repeatedly they want financial relief. This is why I joined the overwhelming majority of state lawmakers in approving this needed tax relief proposal and am very troubled by the governor’s actions.”