By Rep. Shane Mekeland
The 2022 legislative session is hitting its stride and, as predicted, tax relief is at the forefront.
For starters, bills have been authored eliminating the state tax on Social Security and protecting businesses from suffering the injustice of a six-year unemployment insurance tax increase at a time the state has a $7.7 billion surplus.
More than 35 other states already have used federal COVID relief funds to address their UI deficit, but Minnesota remains one of the states that literally has not taken care of business. We only have until March 15 to prevent this tax increase from kicking in, so it is good to see the Senate is advancing legislation with bipartisan support to solve this problem. It’s been a rougher road over in the House, where the majority’s initial plan only addresses part of the issue and still results in a six-year tax increase, per the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Our small businesses have been through enough over the last couple of years and it’s time to do right by them. With inflation soaring to 40-year highs, supply chain issues, workforce challenges, and more stacked against them, we should not be subjecting our businesses to higher taxes at a time when Minnesota has a record-setting $7.7 billion surplus.
The subject of frontline worker pay also is surfacing with legislation to provide bonuses receiving committee hearings in the House. There are a lot of layers to this issue and differing priorities regarding who should receive funding and how much they should be paid. Some people want to cast a wide net and provide vast numbers of workers with smaller compensation. Others want to narrow the focus and provide more meaningful payments to those who truly work on the front lines.
While there’s been a lot of debate over this subject, and questions galore, one thing we are not hearing nearly enough about is getting our economy out of this rut. People are paying more for goods and services across the board. Any more money you may be taking in via relief dollars or otherwise are likely being gobbled up by the skyrocketing prices of gas, groceries, electric bills, and everything else costing more in today’s economy.
Let’s forget playing politics and arguing over which workers are “essential” or “non-essential” because every job is essential to the person who holds it. Instead, let’s put more energy toward getting our private-sector economy back on track to bolster income, make housing more affordable, provide for our children and more. Permanent tax relief is what families and businesses need for long-term recovery.
Speaking of children, the Senate majority has come forward with a package of bills to reinforce parental involvement and enhance transparency in education. While I will not speak to the entire package, I firmly support initiatives to put parents in the driver’s seat of their kids’ education. Learning regression experienced during COVID restrictions is only likely to make the hill even steeper to achieve educational success.
Increasing school transparency, disclosure, and accountability to parents would be a step forward in helping get them back on track to brighten their future and also to mitigate our state’s woeful achievement gap. Classrooms should be a place for children to learn core curriculum. Divisive politics have no place in that environment.
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