Dear Friends,
Week two has come to an end in St. Paul, and we're keeping up the fast-paced productivity we saw in week one. A number of important bills are moving through the committee process, and are likely to come to the floor in coming weeks.
I wanted to update you on one bill we voted on yesterday that will undo some of the mistakes and lift the burdens passed by the majority during the 2013 legislative session.
The House voted yesterday to pass HF1777, a bill that repeals the three business-to-business taxes from last session, and conforms Minnesota's tax code with the federal tax code, restoring several important tax credits that help Minnesota families.
I've been clear all along; these taxes were a mistake, and should have never been passed in the first place. In addition, it's unacceptable that the majority failed to pass federal conformity last session.
Approximately 1 in 3 Minnesotans have already filed their taxes ahead of the April deadline. Waiting until now to pass federal conformity means many people will have to go back and amend their already-filed state tax returns to get the tax breaks they're entitled to.
That's a headache that most families would probably prefer not to deal with, and given Democrats' complete control of government, it's puzzling why it took them until now to get it done. Now it's up to the Senate to pass the bill and send it to the Governor.
I voted for this bill because I believe it's important to undo these mistakes and put more money back in your pockets. But I believe this bill didn't go far enough. Democrats rejected amendments offered by Republicans to eliminate the so-called marriage penalty that impacts 640,000 Minnesota families who would otherwise receive tax breaks if full federal conformity was enacted.
Getting rid of the business-to-business taxes and conforming our tax code to restore the tax credits you deserve is good news for the hardworking taxpayers of Minnesota, but there's still more we can do during this session. I'll keep looking for ways to let you keep more of your hard-earned money.
With a $1.2 billion dollar surplus, I support every effort possible to give back that surplus to the taxpayers. That money belongs to you -- not the government.
Have a great weekend,
Mark