REP. DAVIDS DISAPOINTED IN DEMOCRAT DECISION TO RAISE TRANSPORTATION TAXES WITH $17 BILLION SURPLUS
ST. PAUL – State Representative Greg Davids (R-Preston) said many residents were expecting to see significant tax relief this session after state economists projected Minnesota to have a $17 billion budget surplus. But the Minnesota Democrat House majority has different ideas, and it’s now expected that nearly every Minnesotan will be paying higher taxes and fees if their new transportation funding proposal becomes law.
“Democrats quite literally cannot help themselves when it comes to tax increases,” Davids said. “In our lifetime we will not see another surplus like this, and even with an unexpected $17 billion laying around the Democrats are still trying to raise taxes.”
The largest tax increase would be leveled against shoppers in the Metro Area, as $2 billion is expected to be raised through a ¾ of a cent sales tax increase.
But Davids said rural Minnesota residents will also be forced to pay more, as the House majority wants to include a 75-cent delivery tax on items delivered to your home. Residents can expect to pay this tax for services such as pizza delivery or when their Amazon order is dropped off.
Additional Democrat tax increases include raising the costs of license tab renewals, which will cost Minnesota drivers $736 million, and an increase in the Motor Vehicle Sales Tax (MVST), which would jump from 6.5% to 6.875%, and cost residents more than $215 million. It would also make Minnesota the state with the 5th highest rate when it comes to motor vehicle sales tax.
“People are paying nearly $4 for a gallon of gas again while also struggling to pay their bills, yet the Democrats take none of this into account as they try to force tax increases on hardworking Minnesotans,” Davids said. “These are the harsh realities of one-party rule in the State of Minnesota as the Democrats have thrown common sense out the window.”