Rep. Anne Neu Brindley Statement on Gov. Walz's Budget Proposal
SAINT PAUL, MN – Gov. Tim Walz released his $52 billion budget proposal for the 2021-2022 biennium on Tuesday. His plan proposes $1.7 billion in new taxes, including a 15% tax increase on businesses and a 10% hike on Minnesota’s top tax bracket. Around $941 million are in fact regressive taxes that will hurt Minnesotans at every income level, including tax increases on cigarettes and vaping products which have shown the greatest impact on those with the lowest income. The proposal only calls for $150 million in cuts, or about 0.3% of the budget.
Rep. Anne Neu Brindley, R-North Branch, released the following statement in reaction to the Governor’s proposed budget:
“A $1.7 billion tax increase, major spending hikes, and almost no meaningful spending cuts does not help Minnesota’s economic recovery. Our families and businesses made so many sacrifices in the past year because of COVID-19. Rewarding them by putting our state number two for highest business tax and number three for highest income tax rate in the country makes no sense.
“Minnesotans cannot afford a tax increase right now. We need to find savings and tap into our state’s strong budget reserve to close the deficit, so we do not inflict more damage on our families and businesses. Government needs to tighten its belt and balance the budget without harmful tax hikes that would devastate our economic recovery.”