Dear Friends,
If someone took $20 from your wallet, and handed you back $5, would you call that a good deal? That's exactly what Democrats have done, and today they're taking a victory lap, patting themselves on the back for "cutting" the very taxes they voted to increase last session.
Yesterday's bill would repeal three business-to-business taxes passed in 2013. Those taxes include: the commercial equipment repair tax (sometimes referred to as the farm equipment repair tax), the telecommunications tax, and the warehousing tax. In addition, the bill would provide approximately $200 million in additional tax deductions Minnesotans are entitled to under the federal tax code, but currently aren't able to claim due to differences in the state tax code.
Last week, Republicans urged Democrats to #GiveItBack. We believe that the $1.2 billion state surplus is an indication that Minnesotans are being overtaxed, and that the money is better off in your pocket, rather than in a vault waiting to be wastefully spent by Democrats.
Yesterday's vote was an important first step toward doing just that. Republicans believe we should give back as much of the $1.2 billion as possible to the hardworking taxpayers. There are additional taxes passed last session that could still be repealed, further easing the burden placed on the backs of Minnesota families and businesses last session. House Republicans will continue to fight to give you back your hard-earned dollars, and continue correcting the mistakes and cleaning up the mess Democrats made in 2013.
Constituent Visits
There were a number of visitors this week from District 31A -- I want to thank everyone who stopped by my office. My door is always open, and if you're planning a trip to St. Paul in the near future, please consider scheduling a meeting by calling my office at 651-296-5364 or emailing rep.kurt.daudt@house.mn. Here are a couple of photos from visits this week:
Audrey from East Central library and a number of others stopped by as a part of Library Legislative Day at the Capitol.
Thanks to Cambridge-Isanti School District Superintendent Ray Queener, and Shawn Springob from Isanti for stopping by to talk about education issues this legislative session.
Survey
If you haven't already, please take a few moments to fill out my 2014 legislative survey. Your feedback and opinions help me better represent our district, and I look forward to reading your responses. You can take the survey by clicking here.
Have a great weekend,
Rep. Kurt Daudt
House Republican Leader
State Representative, District 31A