ST. PAUL – Today the Minnesota House passed the Republican Majority’s package of tax legislation on a vote of 80-52. The bill contained a massive cut in the estate tax for rich families, an unprecedented private school neovoucher system diverting money from public schools, and no increases in Local Government Aid or the Working Family Credit.
Rep. John Lesch (DFL – St. Paul) released the following statement:
“With the Republicans in charge of this body, the script almost writes itself when it comes to taxes. The bill we passed today is over 400 pages of corporate giveaways, tax cuts for the richest among us, and other misplaced priorities while ignoring working families in our communities. Meanwhile, needed investments in public school students, care for seniors and disabled Minnesotans, and other critical services go unmet because the Republicans put their corporate allies at the front of the line. This is after they voted for another half-billion dollar giveaway to health insurance companies earlier in the day through the so-called ‘reinsurance’ bill.
“Unchanged going forward, this reckless bill will almost certainly return us to a cycle of perpetual budget deficits. Especially with a budget surplus, we should invest in the things that make Minnesota such a terrific place to start with, and not put our economy in jeopardy with irresponsible tax cuts.”
Rep. Lesch has served on the Minnesota House Taxes Committee for over 12 years. He represents the Como Park, North End, East Side and Hamline-Midway neighborhoods in St. Paul at the Capitol.