Give the surplus back to taxpayers
By: Senator John Jasinski
This week we received the latest budget forecast from the state’s budget office. The February forecast is what legislators use to guide decisions for the remainder of the legislative session.
The latest forecast shows that the state has a budget surplus of $9.3 billion. When we received the previous forecast in early December, the surplus was $7.7 billion.
That means one thing: you are way, way, way overtaxed. The state took too much from taxpayers, plain and simple.
Senate Republicans are committed to giving it back to you. In fact, we are proposing the largest tax cut in state history. If Democrats agree, it would provide $8.51 billion in tax relief to taxpayers over the next three years. Our plan has two key elements:
- First, we are going to eliminate the tax on Social Security income. I hear about this almost everywhere I go. The tax on Social Security income is a double tax – you are taxed on this benefit once during your working life, and again when you collect the benefit after retirement. That’s not fair. Most other states already wiped this tax off the books. We are one of only 13 states that still tax Social Security income. We’re going to get rid of it.
- Second, we are going to provide real, significant tax cuts to every Minnesota taxpayer. Instead of election-year gimmicks like a one-off check of a few hundred bucks, our permanent tax cuts will make your paychecks bigger every week. Under our plan,
Under the Republican proposal, a Minnesota family making $100,000 would see a tax savings of $1,000 each year. A typical individual making $37,000 would receive about a $500 annual reduction.
Ever since we learned the state has a record budget surplus, I’ve heard the same things from my constituents: Give it back. I agree. The government took far, far too much from taxpayers. We’re going to give it back the right way, through permanent, significant tax relief that makes your paychecks bigger month after month after month and year after year.
Parent bill of rights bills
This week we also passed the first two components of our Parents Bill of Rights package. These first two bills affirmed parents’ right to transparency in their child’s classroom and their right to privacy when they participate in school board meetings.
Both are simple, common sense ideas:
The first bill simply bans the requirement for a parent or citizen to disclose their full address in order to speak at a school board meeting. The second reaffirms a parent’s right to see school curriculum by requiring schools to disclose this option to parents and make materials available without cost.
The most important teacher in a child’s life is their parent. Parents should be working in partnership with schools, but that’s not always the case when they try to obtain information about their child’s education. These bills clarify that parents have a right to basic information, and do not have to give out their private information to make their voices heard at school board meetings.
Contact me
If you have any questions about the issues we are working on at the legislature, feel free to contact me any time at sen.john.jasinski@senate.mn or 651-296-0284. It is a privilege to serve you!