Liberal in the Land of Conservative

Your turn: Under Severson, wealthy don’t pay a fair share

By Rob Jacobs
Candidate, House 14A

On April 30, House 14A Rep. Dan Severson wrote about what he called a “steady stream of substantial tax increases” enacted by the legislative majority.

The only example he gave was the transportation bill. He pointed out that he believes it is better to fund transportation on the state’s credit card rather than the “pay as you go” system that was passed this winter.

My campaign is focusing on a vision of a fair distribution of the tax burden for all Minnesotans. Most people I have spoken with agree that Severson has failed to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes.

We have seen a very unfair shifting of the tax burden. The things we value most — education, health care, transportation and public safety — have all been shifted to our local property taxes. This shift has occurred under Severson’s watch and he has consistently supported this regressive method of taxation, all the while telling us there are “no new taxes.”

He has supported an increase in fees that will cost Minnesotans an additional $530 million this year.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue recently released its annual incidence study, which shows how much individuals and families are paying in state and local taxes.

This study proves that there has been a steady shifting of Minnesota’s tax burden onto lower- and middle-income Minnesotans and away from the wealthiest Minnesotans.

Most of that shift has been caused by property tax increases. Since 2002, when Severson was first elected, there has been a $1.6 billion increase to individual property taxes. That is an 81.7 percent increase on Minnesota homeowners in the six years that Severson has been in office.

While the tax burden has shifted to the lower- and middle class, the wealthiest Minnesotans have enjoyed a tax break.

The wealthiest Minnesotans, many making more than $1 million per year, pay a smaller percentage of income taxes than people making less. If these folks paid the same as the rest of us, not more, just the same, Minnesota would take in close to $500 million annually. That represents almost half of our current budget shortfall!

The legislative majority that Severson criticizes made at least four attempts to fix this tax disparity in 2007, but he voted against every one of their tax fairness initiatives.

These attempts would have provided significant and permanent property tax relief for homeowners, farmers and small-business owners, and increased Local Government Aid.

Those bills either died in committee or were vetoed by the governor even though they would have increased income taxes on only 1 percent of Minnesota filers.

Eighty-one percent of the additional revenue would have come from taxpayers making more than $1 million per year.

“The voters who elected me need to know I have their backs,” Severson says.

If you are fortunate enough to be making over $1 million per year, he does “have your back.”

The rest of us need to watch our backs and quit being fooled by the “no new taxes” plan. This plan has shifted the tax burden, through increased property taxes and fees, to those who can least afford to pay.