Senate DFL Leader Melisa López Franzen (DFL-Edina) said that the costly tax break bill the Republican majority pushed through the Senate today will send hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the wealthiest Minnesotans, while denying tax cuts to more than 540,000 Minnesota taxpayers because their income is too low. The costly bill will also prevent efforts to address priorities like education, health care, housing and public safety.
Sen. López Franzen said the measure, which passed Wednesday, spends $240 million on permanent tax breaks for Minnesotans who earn more than $250,000 annually, an amount that is eight times more than the Republican budget spends this year on education.
“At a time we have an unprecedented surplus and the opportunity to make a difference for every Minnesotan, it is a failure of leadership to spend so much on tax breaks for people at the top who are already doing very well,” said Senator López Franzen. “This plan fails our schools, it fails our working families, and it fails our communities. And above all, it’s not what the Republican majority says it is, because does not help everyone. I believe our priorities should help Minnesotans who need it most, and address the real needs facing working families in our state.”
DFL Proposals to Cut Taxes Blocked by the Republican Majority
Sen. López Franzen said DFLers offered several responsible tax cuts that would put money in the pockets of Minnesota families, but they were rejected by the Republican majority. Those efforts included eliminating tax cuts for wealthy Minnesotans in order to help schools cut special education costs that are not only swamping school district budgets across the state, but also are pushing property taxes up.
“Senate DFLers are not against tax cuts, and have offered many proposals to put money back in the pockets of struggling Minnesotans,” said Sen. López Franzen. “But we will regret prioritizing wealthy tax breaks over all other important priorities. We can both cut taxes responsibly and address the very real problems Minnesotans face each and every day.”
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