After the raping the Minnesota taxpayer received yesterday at the hands of the Minnesota Democrat Party (DFL), one of the stalwarts trying to hold the line is our own SD 15 Minnesota Representative Steve Gottwalt. He had this to say regarding the vote yesterday that passed the largest tax increase in Minnesota history:
It's only two weeks into the 2008 legislative session and the liberals in St. Paul have already pushed through two huge tax increases. The latest was a $6.6 billion transportation bill representing the largest tax hike in Minnesota history.
Governor Tim Pawlenty vetoed the bill late last week, but the liberal majorities in both the House and the Senate voted to override the veto Monday. In addition to an 8.5-cent per gallon gas tax increase, Minnesotans will all pay large increases in vehicle registration and license tab fees. The bill enacts a quarter-percent sales tax increase for the metro area – without a referendum - and provides massive new spending for Twin Cities area mass transit.
Instead of looking at the state’s budget and re-prioritizing spending within existing revenues, the liberals chose to foist the entire burden onto the backs of hard working Minnesotans facing the toughest economic times in a decade. The vast majority of my constituents do not support massive new tax increases for transportation. This bill hurts those who can least afford it, including seniors, low income residents, middle-class families, and those living on fixed incomes.
With the new increase, Minnesota’s gas tax jumps from the 28th highest nationally to seventh. It puts us further behind in terms of overall tax climate.
A last-minute amendment to the bill also makes it uncertain there will be equity in funding between rural Minnesota and the metro area. This bill is not fair for the taxpayers of Minnesota and, with a growing budget deficit still looming, it also is ill-timed.
The transportation bill was rushed through the House and the Senate. One reason for this is both obvious and irresponsible: The state’s budget forecast is scheduled to be released Thursday, and is expected to project Minnesota’s budget nearly $1 billion in deficit.
Although proponents claimed the bill represented “compromise,” it was more than a billion dollars larger than the transportation package Gov. Pawlenty vetoed last year. And this time there wasn't any dialogue with Republican leaders or the Governor’s office.
We owed it to Minnesotans to do better. There was certainly common sense, middle ground available, based much less on tax increases and including state general fund dollars. This new law sells out Minnesota taxpayers.
Just for comparison, Missouri is replacing 800 bridges and Indiana is quadrupling transportation spending – all without raising taxes. Instead, the liberals in charge of Minnesota’s Legislature resorted to a quick fix that was easy to enact but will be hard for Minnesotans to swallow.
That's it for now. I'm sure there will be more to report after the February budget forecast is announced. In the mean time, let me know how I can help!
Sincerely in service,
Rep. Steve Gottwalt
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