SAINT PAUL, MN—Ahead of National Adoption Day, Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, announced Friday that he intends to introduce legislation next session to eliminate the adoption tax Minnesota families face if they receive adoption assistance from their employer. Had Democrats conformed to the federal tax code last session, the adoption tax would have been eliminated.
"Democrats' failure to conform to federal tax code has hurt Minnesota families in a number of ways," Rep. Garofalo said. "The tax penalty Minnesota families face on employer-provided adoption assistance is unnecessary and discourages Minnesota families from opening their homes to children seeking a permanent home, or starting a family of their own through the adoption process. Penalizing families for receiving adoption assistance is simply wrong."
National Adoption Day is November 23rd, and seeks to raise awareness for more than 100,000 children in foster care who are waiting for permanent homes.
Garofalo said he has heard from several constituents about the impact of the adoption tax, and will work with legislators next session, which begins in February, to eliminate wasteful spending to pay to conform with the federal tax code, and offset the adoption tax penalty.
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