Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Tim Miller (R)

Back to profile

Massive State Budget Surplus

Friday, December 10, 2021

On Tuesday, Minnesota government officially announced that our state has a projected budget surplus of $7.7 billion. This is a state record. We have never had a surplus this large before and it represents undeniable proof that Minnesota takes too much money from taxpayers.

This projected surplus is not due to an influx of one-time money. Instead, this surplus was created by consistent revenue streams such as taxes on business and sales tax. As runaway inflation increases the prices of goods, it only stands to reason that tax profits from those goods will increase. For example, if the price of gas goes up, the amount of tax the government collects on that gasoline will also increase. In my view, this means government is getting rich at the expense of your family budget.

Every dollar that state government has comes from taxpayers. When government is over-collecting to the tune of $7.7 billion, that means taxpayers are getting a raw deal. I believe we need to give all this money back to the taxpayers of Minnesota. Government did not earn this money, you did. We are living through a time where inflation is out of control and people are struggling to pay their bills. We do not need government to grow its riches even more. Instead, we need to cut taxes across the board for all Minnesotans.

Minnesota’s tax on Social Security needs to be eliminated. Taxes on consumer goods and income need to be cut. I am not satisfied to let government take more from you family budget. I will be voting to cut taxes wherever possible. The big-spending politicians who want to use this money on expensive trains and programs that only benefit the metro area are misguided. You need your money back, and I will vote to make that happen.

Tim Miller