ST. PAUL – Governor Mark Dayton submitted his proposed budget to the Minnesota Legislature recently, and State Representative Joe Schomacker (R-Luverne) said it’s very expensive for hardworking Minnesotans.
“We’ll be taking time over the next couple of weeks in our committees to evaluate his proposals,” Schomacker said. “It was likely submitted as a high negotiation starting point.”
For the next two year budget cycle, the governor is proposing a $45.8 billion budget, which is roughly a ten percent increase over our current spending of $41.5 billion.
Schomacker noted the governor would like a $1.4 billion tax increase on trips to the doctor by extending the provider tax, and an additional $1.5 billion in new taxes and fees in the next biennium by increasing things such as the gas tax, tab fees, and new license surcharges. Minnesota is also projected to see a $1.4 billion budget surplus this biennium.
“Our economy is tightening slightly, and instead of scaling down the size of government and the money being taken in, the governor wants to spend the surplus and add nearly $3 billion in new taxes and fees,” Schomacker said.
“With the uncertainty we have in the economy, it’s not the time to increase the size of state government by ten percent in a two year period,” Schomacker concluded.
Schomacker added that the House will unveil its budget proposal in the weeks ahead.