By Rep. Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring
I couldn’t help but chuckle at Rep. Dan Wolgamott’s recent Times column — he talks a good game about providing tax relief amid a historic state surplus, but it stands in complete contrast to the votes he’s taken over the last four years.
It’s time for a little refresher about his record and the votes he’s taken to increase taxes on our health care, a 70% gas tax hike, and more.
Just a few years ago, Rep. Wolgamott voted for an astonishing $12 billion in tax hikes over four years during the 2019 session. This included health care tax increases, tax hikes on Main Street businesses, gas tax hikes, tab fee increases, sales tax hikes, and a new payroll tax on every employer and employee in Minnesota.
Rep. Wolgamott also said in his column he supports a gas-tax holiday for three months this year. This is in stark contrast to his record of voting for permanent gas-tax increases. In 2019, Rep. Wolgamott voted to raise the gas tax by 20 cents per gallon, a 70-percent increase. Just last year, he voted to not only raise the gas tax by 5 cents per gallon, but to put further increases on auto pilot.
In total, Rep. Wolgamott has supported permanently raising the gas tax by 25 cents per gallon with an automatic inflator. If he had his way, gas prices would be well above $4.00/gallon. Those permanent, significant tax increases dwarf the tax catnap he is now proposing and truly undermine his credibility on this issue.
The same goes for the new public narrative Rep. Wolgamott is taking on regarding eliminating the state’s Social Security tax. House Republicans have been adamant for years that our state should end its status as an outlier that taxes Social Security. Rep. Wolgamott has been in lockstep with his fellow House Democrats by standing in the way of House Republican efforts on this subject throughout his time in office. Rep. Wolgamott personally voted against reducing taxes for Minnesota seniors, which includes nearly 5,000 seniors in his district.
Now, with votes to keep taxing Social Security having been logged for years, Rep. Wolgamott is singing a different election-year tune. Moreover, it’s interesting that he touts the social security tax while his leadership remains adamantly opposed to it — has he said one word to his Metro Democrat leaders to get it passed? Or is he simply writing about it in the Times to paper over his record?
There are some other areas where Rep. Wolgamott has voted for tax increases. He voted to double electricity rates in his district rather than exempt coops and municipal outfits such as Connexus from the 100-percent, carbon free mandate.
Rep. Wolgamott also gave no attempt in his column to explain away the fact he blocked efforts to prevent a significant tax increase to take place March 15 despite a historic state surplus.
The state’s unemployment insurance trust fund that was depleted with more people out of work during the pandemic. The Senate approved bipartisan legislation on a veto-proof margin to resolve the legislation and spare Minnesotans from a resulting tax increase.
But Rep. Wolgamott’s vote blocked the bill from receiving a vote in the House and now employers are being hit with tax hikes that will add to the financial pain of inflation, and soaring gas/energy prices in the Biden economy.
Rep. Wolgamott is welcome to come to the table if he is serious about enacting tax relief. Until then, we also should keep in mind it’s not what we say about issues, it’s what we do. In the case of taxes, the words in Rep. Wolgamott’s column do not match his voting actions.
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