DFL Tax Hikes--not just for "rich people"

Over 5 billion now, and still climbing:

DFL TAX-HIKE PROPOSALS:

NOT JUST FOR “RICH PEOPLE” ANY MORE!

[THEY NEVER WERE JUST FOR “RICH PEOPLE”]

With six weeks left until the legislative session ends, no one can predict what tax increases will be passed. So any of the 50 tax proposals on this list introduced by House Democrats could be sent to the Governor.

Next week, there will be an analysis of DFL proposals to increase taxes, fees, surcharges, and other “free will offerings” and “investments” which are included in major finance bills in the House and Senate.

1. GAS, LICENSE PLATES, CARS: Democrats in both the House and Senate have passed different versions of $900 million of tax increases on gas, license tabs, and cars, and would allow counties to charge you for “wheelage fees” for owning a car. With about 2 million drivers, that would work out to about $450 per year per driver, if House Republicans were not ready to back up Governor Tim Pawlenty’s promised veto of these plans.

2. BEER: Rep. Michael Paymar (D-St. Paul) wants to pile enormous tax increases on beverages containing alcohol. He would raise taxes on metric sales beverages by the following percentages: distilled spirits (up 228%); wine (up 450%); hard cider (up 800%); regular beer (up 790%); and 3.2% beer (up 457%). (House File 1050) It would collect over $110 million in new “fees”.

3. BEER: Rep. Karen Clark (D-Minneapolis) is seeking similar increases in taxes on alcohol, but for other purposes. (House File 1446)

4. DEER LICENSES: Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South Saint Paul) wants to raise fees on deer hunters. (House File 278)

5. TAX ON CLOTHING: ARE YOU “RICH” IF YOU EARN $36,000?: If you earn $36,000, then some House Democrats think you are rich enough to start losing an exemption they would provide for the proposed new DFL sales tax on clothes. Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) offered House File 2163.

6. BOATS: Rep. Bev Scalze (D-Little Canada) wants to raise the fees on all watercraft. On boats over 19-feet long, she would add a $25 surcharge to a $27 fee. (House File 2216)

7. ELECTRICAL BILLS: Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis) wants to raise the surcharge on your retail electricity bills to pay for a rebate program for the installation or use of solar technologies. (House File 2384)

8. CELL PHONES, INSTANT MESSAGES, AND TELEPHONES: Rep. Debra Hilstrom (D-Brooklyn Center) wants to raise a tax on cell phones, land-line phones, and other telecommunications devices by 46%. (House File 1464)

9. PAINT: Sen. Linda Higgins (D-Minneapolis) wants to impose a new tax on paint. (Senate File 836)

10. LIGHT BULBS: Rep. Jean Wagenius (D-Minneapolis) wants to impose a 25-cent tax on every incandescent light bulb in the state. (House File 2156)

11. SNUFF: Rep. Jim Davnie (D-Minneapolis) wants to put a tax of 91-cents-per-ounce on moist snuff. (House File 2311)

12. DEAD PEOPLE: Rep. Tom Anzelc (D-International Falls) wants to authorize a new tax on dead people in his area to pay for the Lakeview Cemetery Association. (House File 213).

13. AND THE HEARSES THAT CARRY DEAD PEOPLE: Rep. Bernie Lieder (D-Crookston) wants to triple a tax on hearses. (House File 946)

14. FEES ON YOUR MEDICINES: Rep. Erin Murphy (D-St. Paul) wants to raise pharmacy fees automatically on an annual basis. (House File 1722)

15. CARS: Rep. Bernie Lieder (D-Crookston) wants to raise your gas taxes by 50 percent, and allow counties to charge you a wheelage tax, and triple the tax on cars, and allow counties to raise the sales tax, and put a transportation-impact tax on every building permit, and raise the cost to register vehicles. (House File 946)

16. COMPUTERS AND VIDEO EQUIPMENT: Rep. Brita Sailer (D-Park Rapids) wants to raise fees on video and electronic equipment sales. (House File 854)

17. CIGARETTES: Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) wants to impose an extra $250 fee on cigarette manufacturers. (House File 1737)

18. YOUR FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE COUNTY JAIL: Rep. Larry Haws (D-St. Cloud) would raise fees for county and regional jails. (House File 161)

19. BILLBOARDS: Rep. Michael Paymar introduced three bills to: 1) declare a state-wide moratorium on new billboards; 2) change rules to shorten the survival of existing billboards; and 3) put a new $500 surcharge on billboards, with the revenue to be used to buy and destroy existing billboards. (House Files 2189, 2202, and 2203).

20. TAX THE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR HOUSE TO GET HOUSES FOR OTHERS: Homeowners would face a 50 percent increase when filing any papers related to the purchase, transfer, mortgaging, sale, or other transfer of property. Money from those taxes on homeowners would be given to non-homeowners seeking to rent property or buy their own homes. Rep. Scott Kranz (D-Blaine) wrote House File 939.

21. RAISE YOUR SALES TAX TO PAY FOR ARTS & PARKS: Rep. Tony Sertich (D-Chisholm) wants to raise the sales tax by at least $17 million to pay more for the arts and for natural resources projects. (House File 2285)

22. RAISE YOUR SALES TAX TO PAY FOR TRANSIT: Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) wants to impose an extra sales tax to pay for transit and other purposes. In the Metro area, there would be one tax increase. In the rest of the state, the new tax could be proposed by any two or more county boards. (House File 1463)

23. RAISE YOUR SALES TAX TO PAY FOR TRAILS: Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) would impose an extra sales tax to raise at least $500 million a year pay for new parks, trails, and habitat projects. (House File 1449)

24. RAISE YOUR SALES TAX TO PAY FOR TROLLEYS: Rep. Shelley Madore (D-Apple Valley) wants to impose an extra sales tax on the three million people in the metro area to pay for more buses and trolleys. (House File 1112).

25. EXPANDING THE SALES TAX TO SERVICES: Rep. Phyllis Kahn (D-Minneapolis) wants to tax cosmetic surgery. This would be a bad precedent on the sales tax, which generally has applied only to goods (except for food, clothing, and a few other exceptions). (House File 1027)

26. GIFTS FROM GRANNY: Rep. Joe Mullery (D-Minneapolis) wants to create a new 10% tax on people who give gifts. If the donor does not pay the tax, then the tax liability shifts to the person who received the gift. In such cases, the donor would still be liable for a $100 penalty for not paying the gift tax. Under the bill, you could be required to show the gift to the Commissioner of Revenue to determine its true worth. (House File 1212)

27. GAS: Rep. Lyle Koenen (D-Clara City) wants to raise your gas taxes, your special fuel taxes, and to create a new motor vehicle sales tax. (House File 2219)

28. GAS: Rep. Ken Tschumper (D-La Crescent) wants to raise fuel taxes by 50 percent on gasoline, E85, M85, liquefied petroleum and natural gas, propane and compressed natural gas. (House File 1469)

29. CARS: Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis) wants to let any three-county panel impose sales and use taxes on motor vehicles. (House File 1920)

30. THE COST OF GETTING A MORTGAGE: Rep. Bill Hilty (D- Finlayson) wants to raise the fees on mortgage firm’s employees by 588 percent (up from $850 to $5,000) for new licenses and by 555 percent (up from $450 to $2,500) for license renewals. (House File 2305)

31. LOCAL MORTGAGES: Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) wants to collect more taxes on local deeds and mortgage documents in Anoka County. (House File 362)

32. LOCAL MORTGAGES: Rep. Erin Murphy (D-St. Paul) wants to collect more taxes on local deeds and mortgage documents in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. (House File 1042)

33. LOCAL MORTGAGES: Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) wants to collect more taxes on local deeds and mortgage documents in Dakota County. (House File 1466)

34. LOCAL MORTGAGES: Rep. David Dill (D-Crane Lake) wants airport authorities to send a bill to county commissioners instructing them to impose and deliver property taxes from all land-owners who have property in the area of district boundaries of the airport authority. (House File 2287)

35. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) would impose a local food and beverage tax on Mendota. (House File 2261)

36. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Ken Tschumper (D-La Crescent) wants to impose a local sales tax in Lanesboro. (House File 2243)

37. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Deb Hilstrom (D-Brooklyn Center) wants to shift property taxes from one set of residents to another by expanding the use of the local tax increment financing district. (House File 2193)

38. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Deb Hilstrom (D-Brooklyn Center) wants to shift property taxes from one set of residents to another by expanding the use of the local tax increment financing district. (House File 2192)

39. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Frank Moe (D-Bemidji) would raise local sales and use taxes there. (House File 1103)

40. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Bernie Lieder (D-Crookston) wants to raise local sales and use taxes in Crookston. (House File 1820)

41. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Will Morgan (D-Burnsville) wants to create special tax increment financing districts in Burnsville. These districts often shift property tax burdens onto current landowners for years. (House File 1054)

42. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Carolyn Laine (D-Columbia Heights) wants to create a special tax increment financing district in Columbia Heights. (House File 1879)

43. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Carolyn Laine (D-Columbia Heights) wants to create a tax increment financing district in Fridley. (House File 2121)

44. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Terry Morrow (D-St. Peter) wants a new local sales tax authorized for North Mankato. (House File 108)

45. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Bill Hilty (D-Finlayson) wants a new local sales tax authorized for Cloquet. (House File 885)

46. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Dave Dill (D-Crane Lake) would extend local sales taxes in Cook County. (House File 1894)

47. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Mike Jaros (D-Duluth) to raise taxes on food and beverages in Duluth to help to pay for a new hockey arena in that city. (House File 134)

48. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South Saint Paul) wants to impose a food and beverage tax on Lilydale. (House File 2102)

49. RAISING LOCAL TAXES: Rep. Dave Dill (D-Crane Lake) would impose an Ely local sales & use tax. (House File 2059)

50. RAISE METRO TAXES FOR MORE TRANSIT: Rep. Shelley Madore (D-Apple Valley) wants to expand the levy for the Metro Transportation District to all the counties in the Metro Area. (House File 2140)

51. RAISE SOME PEOPLE’S TAXES BY $222 MILLION FOR A NEW CAMP SNOOPY: Rep. Michael Nelson (D-Brooklyn Park) wants to shift property taxes to regular citizens in order to give tax increment relief to the owners of the Mall of America who want to expand the facility without paying sales taxes on the materials for the expansion The state would provide $180 million to build new parking ramps, and Blooming taxpayers would provide $42 million for new streets, water, sewer, and other improvements. (House File 2237)

So while the Democrats are trying to create the highest state income tax rate in America for small business owners and others who are at the top income levels in Minnesota, do not feel left out.

They also want to tax your gas, license plates, cars, gas, beer, deer licenses, clothing, boats, electrical bills, cell phones, telephones, paint, light bulbs, snuff, dead people, hearses, medicines, computers, video gear, cigarettes, jail stays, billboards, house, sales taxes, gifts to friends and relatives, mortgages, cosmetic surgery, and property taxes on local small businesses.

The Democrats have not forgotten to grab for your wallet. Will you remember their efforts