Dear neighbor,
Last week the House passed legislation that that brings Minnesota’s tax code in alignment with some provisions for the tax code for tax year 2013 with other major provisions becoming effective for tax year 2014. This bill would also repeal the sales tax on commercial/industrial repair as well as telecommunications machinery and equipment starting June 30, 2013. The sales tax on warehousing and storage would also be repealed on the day following final enactment.
While this bill was a step in the right direction, it didn’t go far enough for Minnesota families. Absent from this bill were two conformity provisions for tax year 2013:
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Increased Standard Deduction for married joint filers which would have saved 640,000 married couples for an average $112 per return
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Increased Eligible Expense Limit for Dependent Care Credit which would have saved 26,000 working moms and dads on an average of $80 per return.
Although I’m happy we were able to reduce the tax burden on Minnesotans, let’s not forget that that we are un-doing a few of the devastating mistakes Democrats made last session. This bill still leaves about $700 million in government coffers. These dollars don’t belong in a vault or worse – an extravagant office building for state senators. This money belongs in the pockets of hardworking Minnesotans.
Meanwhile, Democrats continue to promote the idea that this particular legislative session should be an “un-session” that gets rid of unnecessary and burdensome laws and regulations. However, I have yet to see any “un-session” proposal put forward by a Democrat legislator or Governor Dayton that would have a meaningful effect for the budgets of families and small businesses in Minnesota. Curiously, bills put forward by Republican legislators to un-do some of the harm that MNsure has caused – as well as efforts to increase MNsure’s transparency – have not been met with much enthusiasm by Democrats. I hope the Democrat leadership will be more open-minded to Republican ideas as session moves forward.
As always, you can reach me at rep.nick.zerwas@house.mn. To contact me by phone, call (651) 296-4237. Mail can be sent to Rep. Nick Zerwas, 303 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Nick