Dear Neighbor,
House Democrats passed a bill this week that would raise taxes on hard-working Minnesotans by $2.6 billion. Hundreds of millions more in fees they propose bring the tab to around $3 billion.
Estimates show this would cost approximately $550 for every man, woman and child in Minnesota.
The vast majority of the dozen or so bills that will comprise the state budget for the next two years include spending hikes. Much of their proposed spending is wasteful, with the Democrats spending more on government programs and bureaucracy instead of focusing on delivering results for our top priorities.
Take the omnibus bill pertaining to Health and Human Services, which Democrats passed this week. It cuts $26 million next biennium from the senior living baseline funding, despite that extra $3 billion in taxpayer dollars they are looking to spend. It is concerning the Democrats want around $3 billion in new taxes and fees, yet fail to support some of our most vulnerable citizens. Where are their priorities?
Last fall, Democrats said they wanted to make top earners pay their “fair share,” but the omnibus tax bill they passed would impact all of us, regardless of income level. A new KSTP poll shows only 9 percent favor the Democrats’ all-tax approach to eliminating our shortfall that is $627 and shrinking.
Here is a rundown of some of their notable tax hikes in the tax bill:
We have a $627 million shortfall that is increasing revenue is projected to eliminate on its own without a single tax increase. That makes the $3 billion in proposed taxes and fees clearly about Democrats wanting to spend money faster than the state receives it. Hard-working taxpayers already pay enough.
We can only hope this monstrosity of a tax bill in the House is stripped down during conference committee meetings. The problem is, the Senate and Gov. Dayton also propose raising taxes by billions of dollars to spend more, so you can see where this is likely headed. Click here for a Pioneer Press graphic that compares the three proposals.
I will continue advocating for a better approach with a more efficient, effective and responsible government, not one that wastes more taxpayer money.
Sincerely,
Tom