Friends and neighbors — I wanted to take a moment to share with you some of the reasons I voted against this year’s final tax bill.
The tax bill agreement contains a lot of reasons for Minnesotans to be happy. Among other things, the bill provides full tax relief for Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses and full relief for pandemic unemployment benefits. These are two important provisions that I have supported all year. I’m glad they will become law and that Minnesotans will save money. The bill provides important relief for contractors, front-line workers, and small businesses. It makes it easier for communities to construct new fire stations. It supports northern counties who were going to be on the hook for huge tax bills due to Dept. of Revenue overbilling practices against a company. Those are all good things.
Up until a few days ago, I was an enthusiastic supporter of the tax bill. But in the final days of session, a series of provisions were added to the bill at the behest of House Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz that I simply could not abide by.
The most egregious: an amendment that Democrats in the House of Representatives added in the final hours before adjournment. This amendment gave two of Gov. Walz’s commissioners the authority to ‘declare a public health disaster’ to enforce health and human services laws as part of the state’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak. It had nothing to do with taxes in any way, shape or form; it was added at the direction of Gov. Walz, who was upset the legislature revoked his emergency powers the night before. It is further proof that the governor’s lust for power and control far outweighs his concern for the health and safety of Minnesotans.
The bill also contains funding to get the ball rolling on the Rondo land bridge in St. Paul, a ridiculously expensive feel-good project that will ultimately cost more than $1 billion. It provides $24 million for capital project selection grants, some of which will likely be used to rebuild Minneapolis from last summer’s riots. It contains tax exemptions for the film industry and collegiate sports season tickets. It contains local government aid increases that aren’t needed. It funds the Victoria Theater, a project that should be in the bonding bill. It lowers the family tax credit minimum age to 19. It provides authorization for a city to impose a special assessment for energy improvement, which could increase costs for residents. Those are just a handful of examples.
This is not a cut-and-dry situation. The tax bill is not an awful bill. But it was a bad enough bill that it lost my vote. I support tax relief. I believe Minnesotans have earned it. But I cannot endorse the Walz amendment or the waste added at the last minute. It sets a bad precedent, and we should strive to do better.