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| Date: | March 4, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Susan Closmore | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-5712 | | Contact Email: | susan.closmore@senate.mn | | For Immediate Release | |
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| SENATOR GRETCHEN HOFFMAN JOINS COLLEAGUES IN OPPOSITION TO GOVERNOR’S TAX INCREASE PLAN |
(ST. PAUL) – The House and Senate brought Governor Mark Dayton’s tax proposal to the floor Thursday, where it was overwhelmingly defeated 63-1 in the Senate and 131-0 in the House. State Senator Gretchen Hoffman (R-Vergas) joined her colleagues in opposition of the amendment. Governor Dayton’s plan includes $2.4 billion in tax increases and is the largest tax increase ever proposed by a Minnesota governor. His plan contains income tax increases, job provider tax increases, even property taxes increases. Senator Hoffman gave the following remarks on the Senate floor.
“Governor Dayton’s tax plan will punish the very people who will provide the private sector jobs that the state of Minnesota so desperately needs. In fact, many of the people who will be affected by this 4th tier tax bracket have companies that are S-corps and LLCs, so this new high tax bracket will negatively affect their abilities to remain competitive. Combine the new high tax rate with the Federal tax rate and we will have people paying almost 50% of their income in taxes and that’s not even counting property, sales and numerous other taxes and fees charged here,” said Senator Hoffman. “I have been sitting on the tax committee now for eight weeks and have heard company after company testify that if Minnesota doesn’t make it easier to do business here we will lose those very businesses.”
“The incentive to grow business and hire people will be diminished with this onerous tax rate. Lower taxes, not higher, are the medicine this state needs to grow the private sector,” Senator Hoffman added.
Senator Hoffman was elected to her first term in November 2010. Senator Hoffman can be reached at: 651-296-5655 (office) or sen.gretchen.hoffman@senate.mn.
