Dear Neighbor,
Democrats raised taxes by around $2 billion in 2013 and their big sales pitch was that it was going to provide tax relief for property owners.
That is backward thinking, but at least some citizens might have been crossing their fingers, hoping property taxes really would down. Now, we come to find out that not only are we still on the hook for a historic tax increase, but nonpartisan House research is reporting that statewide property tax levies are projected to rise by $238 million, a 92-percent gain over last year’s increase.
The overall property tax increases are projected to rise by 3.3 percent in Greater Minnesota and 2.4 percent in the Metro Area. Based on a statewide average, residential homesteads can expect a 3.8 percent increase and agricultural property is expected to jump 4.7 percent.
To think Democrats hyped their tax increase as a tool to drive down property taxes. But these are be the same people who said MNsure would drive down the cost of health insurance and now we have learned the very Minnesotans this supposedly was going to help – those who do not receive insurance through an employer, Medicaid or Medicare – are paying an average of 47 percent more.
The moral of the story is this: Do not believe Gov. Dayton or fellow Democrats when they say they have a plan to drive down taxes. It makes for good rhetoric, but their track record tells a different story. If they truly wanted to help Minnesotans save on their taxes they would not have raised them by historic amounts and would not have enacted a double-digit spending increase.
On a side note: House rules state legislators must stop sending email updates like these once we reach 60 days out from the end of the legislative session. Today is 60 days out, so this is the last update I will be able to send until after the election. That is disappointing, but I still can do one-on-one communication with constituents, so please continue sending me your input on the issues and I will respond accordingly.
Sincerely,
Tom