Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Minnesota legislature returned to work on Tuesday after being on recess last week to observe the Easter/Passover holidays. Here is an update on important things happening this week.
Minnesota’ Tax Climate
I would like to wish my fellow Minnesotans a Happy Tax Freedom Day on April 29th. According to the Tax Foundation, Minnesotans on average work until this day to pay their total tax bill—fifth latest in the United States.
What’s more, the Tax Foundation recently published their new rankings of business friendly states, and Minnesota dropped from 45th to 47th.
Last year’s tax policies that raised $2.1 billion on hardworking Minnesotans and created three new harmful business-to-business taxes dropped our state even further in the rankings. The only states ranked with worse business tax climates are New York (50th), New Jersey (49th) and California (48th). This is not good company to be in.
While we did repeal those three business-to-business taxes earlier this session, that is just a small step on the road to making our state more business friendly.
Additionally, Minnesota also places a large burden on individual taxpayers. We have the fourth highest individual income tax rate in the country at 9.85%, and the average property tax collected per resident is $1535.
The Minnesota Legislature can and should do more to lessen the tax burden of Minnesota families and small business owners. As your state representative, I will continue to fight on behalf of our hardworking taxpayers.
You can read more on Minnesota’s tax climate here.
Students at the Capitol
It was great to meet with a number of sixth grade students and teachers this week that came to the Capitol for their annual field trips. Visiting St. Paul is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about state government, and I hope Holy Redeemer School in Marshall and Lac Qui Parle Middle School enjoyed their visit!
I will continue to work on your behalf in St. Paul. If I can ever help you or your family on a matter of state government, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Chris