Saint Paul, Minnesota – The House Tax Committee will get right work on the first day of the legislative session tomorrow. They have a full agenda, with plans to hear proposals to reduce middle class tax burdens and repeal business-to-business taxes. State Representative Ann Lenczewski (DFL – Bloomington), chair of the House Tax committee, said that middle class tax cuts will again be a top priority for House Democrats during the 2014 session.
“We made tough choices last session to balance our budget honestly and now we have a balanced budget, a growing economy, and an expected surplus. Middle class tax relief should again be a top priority,” said Lenczewski.
By conforming to the federal tax code, Lenczewski said we can make Minnesota’s tax code simpler, and get rid of things like the “marriage penalty.” Last session, the House passed federal tax conformity legislation, but it did not end up in the final budget that became law. With an expected surplus, Lenczewski said she expected more interest in passing federal tax conformity this session.
“Federal tax conformity may sound boring, but it means real tax cuts for many Minnesotans,” said Lenczewski. “Last year we did not have bipartisan support on our federal tax conformity proposal, but I hope this year we can work together to pass middle class tax cuts.”
The House Tax committee will also hear proposals to repeal business-to-business taxes that were passed last session.
“Thanks to our growing economy and stable budget we are able to consider repealing business-to-business taxes this session,” said Lenczewski. “The warehouse tax will go into effect on April 1st, so there will be interest in working to repeal it before it goes into effect.”
The legislative session convenes at noon tomorrow. The House Tax committee will meet at 12:30 p.m. or 15 minutes after the House floor session adjourns.
WHO: House Tax Committee
WHAT: Hearing several tax cut proposals
WHEN: Tuesday, February 25th at 12:30 pm or 15 minutes after the House floor session adjourns. The committee will work past 2:00 pm, if needed, to complete the agenda.
WHERE: State Office Building, Room 10