ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House on Thursday approved a bill which asks voters whether taxes solely collected from the sales of auto parts and vehicle repairs should be used to repair roads and bridges.
The House bill (H.F. 4437) would continue work on a House-led, long-range transportation funding plan that was enacted last year by permanently dedicating existing dollars generated on the purchases of auto parts, tires, etc. toward transportation. Revenue from the sales tax on auto parts is estimated at $250-$260 million per year.
Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, carried legislation last year that was folded into the larger transportation funding bill which began the process of using sales tax dollars collected on auto parts and repairs for improvements on Minnesota’s roads and bridges.
“Minnesotans expect that we properly fund roads and bridges, we are asking voters to make permanent a funding approach we put into law last year,” Lueck said. “This constitutional amendment would permanently dedicate just a small sliver, barely 1 percent, of the overall state revenues toward transportation. This is a common-sense way to make sure we get our roads and bridges into the shape Minnesotans expect.”
Upon approval, the sales tax dedication would be phased in over a five-year period, ending on June 30, 2025.
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