ST. PAUL – The Minnesota House on Monday overwhelmingly passed legislation allowing state taxpayers to take advantage of numerous tax provisions already approved at the federal level.
State Rep. Joe McDonald, R-Delano, said federal conformity is needed in Minnesota to ease filing compliance burdens and to help industries that were hardest hit from pandemic shutdowns – especially restaurant, hospitality, and entertainment industries.
“This bill is a reminder of how the Legislature can come together to do good work when we focus on our priorities,” McDonald said. “In this case, we did the right thing for the people of Minnesota by quickly approving legislation to make for a smoother 2023 tax season. It also is good we finally passed a provision in this bill to make sure venues the governor forced to close during the pandemic are not charged state taxes on relief grants.”
McDonald said least seven federal bills have been passed into law since Minnesota last enacted legislation to match congressional changes. Tax year 2023 marks five years since our state tax code has been conformed, which McDonald said is the longest the state has been out of conformity in decades. Under the bill, taxpayers have until Dec. 31 to file an amended return.
State officials indicate approving the bill (H.F. 31) by Jan. 13 allows tax software to be updated in time for the 2023 filing season. Language the House passed Monday specifies taxpayers have until Dec. 31 to file an amended return.
With 132-0 passage in the House, the bill is now in the hands of the Senate and, pending that body’s approval, will be presented to the governor for enactment.
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