Minnesota GOP, DFL At Odds With Dueling Tax Plans
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota lawmakers are rolling out their parties tax bills to pay for government services and they couldn't be more different. The disparity is setting up a political showdown with less than a month to go before the end of the legislative session.
Minnesota's is the only divided legislature in the country, and there's no better example of it than these dueling tax plans. You don't often see plans so opposed. Democrats are upfront about their plan to raising income taxes on big corporations, to the tune of $1.2 billion. They want to that money into K-12 education and higher education.
"We can do the status quo, and say we don't have any money into the future," DFL Rep. Paul Marquart, chair of the house tax committee, said, "or we can take a bold aggressive action and make sure we keep the momentum going, improve the quality of life for people and this state."
Republicans are going exactly the opposite way -- they propose cutting income taxes, mostly on middle income people.
"It's not manna from heaven. It's the workers, the farmers, the plumbers, the accountants. It's the office workers. It's the person who cleans the office at night," Republican Sen. Roger Chamberlain, chair of the senate tax committee, said. "They're paying. That's who you're shaking down. That's who you are telling 'Give us more! Give us more! Give us more!'"