SAINT PAUL, MN – Representative Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) issued the following statement regarding yesterday's budget proposal by Governor Mark Dayton:
“Governor Dayton has failed Minnesota with this budget proposal. This budget fails middle class families by raising taxes on medicine, childcare, haircuts, high school prom dresses and tuxedos. This budget fails to help create job creation – it’s a step backward for making Minnesota more attractive for businesses looking to open or relocate in our state by raising billions in taxes on thousands of businesses across the state. This budget fails to pay back the money still owed to our schools from the DFL legislature’s school shift. This budget increases sales taxes on Minnesotans to the tune of $5.6 billion dollars – an outrageous increase that merely serves to expand government, not make it newer and smarter.
“For all of the campaign rhetoric about the rich needing the pay their fair share, Governor Dayton’s budget is filled with tax hikes that will impact and burden the middle class. We should be providing clear cut tax relief to working Minnesotans rather than increasing their taxes on clothing, medicine, and other services. Governors across the country are working to lower tax rates, and reign in spending by redesigning government through meaningful reforms. Instead of taking this approach, Governor Dayton is choosing to dramatically increase taxes and spending at rates that are simply unsustainable given our state’s economic growth. Governor Dayton is pursuing policies that have lead states like California and Illinois to the brink of bankruptcy rather than a path to economic prosperity.”