St. Paul, Minnesota — Last week, state Representative Joe Radinovich (DFL – Crosby) introduced HF 577, a bill that would reduce the Unemployment Insurance tax (UI) paid by employers. The bill would lower the UI base tax rate to 0.1 percent, reducing business taxes by $346.5 million over two years.
“This bill provides businesses with more money that they can then use to hire new workers, expand their business, and grow our economy,” said Rep. Radinovich. “With our economy still slowly recovering, this could be a nice boost for businesses around the state.”
Minnesota’s UI tax rates are determined by the balance in the UI Trust Fund. The Trust Fund has recovered from the economic downturn and is projected to have sufficient reserves — well within the solvency levels recommended by the federal government — to meet future needs.
“Not only does this bill cut taxes for area businesses and put more money in their pockets to create jobs, it doesn’t use money from the General Fund or explode our already-large budget deficit,” said Rep. Radinovich. “In my opinion, that’s a win-win.”
The bill has bipartisan support and Republican co-authors.
“I’m very pleased to have bipartisan support for this legislation,” added Rep. Radinovich. “Bipartisan, common-ground solutions are good for Minnesota and good for our economy. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get this done.”
HF 577 is scheduled to be heard in the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on Thursday, February 21.
Rep. Radinovich encourages constituents to contact him with any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas on any legislative topic. Rep. Radinovich can be reached by phone at 651-296-2365 or by email at rep.joe.radinovich@house.mn. Constituents can also visit Rep. Radinovich’s legislative page and sign up for email updates.