The DFL Cometh, The Tax Man Taketh Away!

The democrats jumped out of the starting gate this week with massive tax increase proposals. Some of their plans include a 7-½ cents per gallon increase in gas taxes, adding another half-percent to the metro area sales tax, and our license tab fees would go up. Senator Murphy, Chairman of the Transportation Committee claims the $840 million dollars raised annually would kick start our economy. Murphy is predicting that this would provide 33,000 jobs for five years, most of them in “good–paying, mainly union jobs with (medical and retirement) benefits.”

I think what Senator Murphy says smell fishy. In an article printed on Monday, Murphy is quoted as saying “people are dying on our unsafe rural highways.” This is bologna. According to a report released Thursday, July 26th, 2007 by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the state’s traffic deaths are down considerably. In 2006 they were the lowest in 61 years.

The report found that 52 of Minnesota’s 87 counties had fewer traffic deaths than the past average. Equally important is that eight counties – Houston, Kanabec, Kittson, Lincoln, Norman, Pennington, Roseau and Swift - reported no traffic deaths. I wonder where Senator Murphy gets his facts? I think he is running around claiming that the sky is falling.

As for the union jobs that he claims will be created. What about the other ninety percent of us hard working taxpayers? Are we not struggling through hard times? What about those of us on fixed incomes? These tax hike proposals are regressive. They will effect the “little people” the democrats claim to represent the hardest. We have seen the price of gas go up over a dollar a gallon in the last year. Food prices have shot up considerably because of our false reliance on ethanol.

The gas tax proposal goes like this. Raise the 20 cents per gallon gas tax to22 cents in the spring and to 25 cents on Sept. 1st. Also, on August 1st, a 2.5-cent surcharge would take affect. This would cover a $2.2 billion road and bridge-bonding bill. The proposed tax bill includes legislation that would index the gas tax to the consumer price index so it would automatically go up without a legislative vote. This would make it the highest in the nation!

They plan on throwing the poor a bone. Single tax payers earning less than $21,800, and married couples making less than $31,860 will get a whopping $25 tax credit!
Let us give thanks to the promise of our esteemed Governor’s use of his veto pen. It is poised and ready to take action. Let us give thanks to Representative Marty Seifert for running a tight ship. Stand your ground gentlemen. We need you now more than ever!