Thursday, April 11, 2013
The 5th District congressman said it puts unfair burdens on poor seniors and veterans.
Rep. Keith Ellison took his fight against chained CPI to MSNBC on Wednesday, criticizing the president’s plan to use the new inflation formula as a way to compromise with Republicans and resolve a budget impasse. The so-called “chained consumer price index” would grow Social Security benefits at a slower rate than they grow under the current formula. The 5th District congressman argues that it amounts to a cut in benefits. “The fact is the president is someone who I support and campaigned hard for. But it is not about the president,” Ellison said on MSNBC's NewsNation with Tamron Hall. “It is really about … low-income seniors struggling to get by on $12,000 a year. It’s about a person, a veteran, it is about Americans who depend upon a …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Find out what the governor said he will change next week that will benefit area businesses.
On Friday morning, Gov. Mark Dayton told TwinWest Chamber of Commerce members that he will take a business-to-business sales tax plan out of his revised budget next week, according to media reports. MPR reported the governor "has heard a lot of concerns about his proposal to add sales tax to the services business sell each other." Last month, a tax policy expert told minnpost.com that extending sales tax to these services—such as accounting, advertising and legal—was not a good idea. “It is very rare when all economists agree,” said John Spry, a professor of business economics at the University of St. Thomas and an expert on state tax policy. “But I am still trying to find an economist who studies this area who thinks taxing business-to-…
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Watch Dayton address the full Minnesota Legislature Wednesday
See what was said Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013, as Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton delivers his State of the State Address to a joint session of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate. Video via The UpTake and the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Supporters have historically pushed for funding in the state’s bonding bills, but a proposed tax increase raises questions about whether that’s the right path this year.
Southwest Light Rail Transit supporters have largely praised the governor’s proposal for a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would set up a dedicated revenue stream for transit, but the proposal has created uncertainty about what the Legislature’s role is in moving the project forward this session. In the past, Rep. Steve Simon and Sen. Ron Latz, whose districts includes Hopkins and St. Louis Park, have been the chief authors on bills that would have provided money for the project. But Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposal aims to remove transit funding from the hands of the Legislature—where it’s sparked intense debate and faced repeated setbacks. With Dayton’s proposal still under discussion, though, there’s some confusion about what the …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Take our poll; then click on to our Patch stories below to see what legislators and others are saying.
Gov. Mark Dayton this week unveiled a proposed state budget and tax plan that would, among other things, lower Minnesota's sales tax from 6.875 percent to 5.5 percent but broaden it to cover more items such as higher-priced clothing, car repairs and other services. In his quest to avoid a projected $1.1 billion revenue shortfall, Dayton said his plan also includes raising the income on some groups of taxpayers (such as the state's 2 percent of highest-income earners). He is proposing to reduce property taxes and cut the corporate tax rate on businesses. (To see a Patch story and UpTake video of Dayton's speech, click on this link.) Bottom line: The governor said he wants to provide property tax relief, boost funding for K-12 education, …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton, in his first appearance since having back surgery late last year, will outline his proposed budget for the next two years.
Gov. Mark Dayton, in his first appearance since having back surgery late last year, will outline his proposed budget for the next two years.
Laying out financial plans for the next two years, and with a Democratic controlled Legislature out in front of him, Gov. Mark Dayton will address both the public and public servants at the Minnesota State Capitol this morning. You can watch streaming video, live, courtesy of the UpTake right here as Dayton will lay out a series of tax hikes, line-item increases and an expected payment shift for Minnesota schools in his address. It's the first public appearance for Dayton since he had back surgery in Rochester, MN last month. Media outlets such as Minnesota Public Radio are saying the budget could have a big impact on Dayton's political future. The first-term governor has not hinted whether or not he will run again for the state's top seat…
Friday, January 4, 2013
With so many challenges on the table, Patch wants to know what issues you think are most important.
With another legislative session just around the corner, senators and representatives have no shortage of challenges ahead of them. Lawmakers plan to convene hearings on gun control in the wake of the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. They’ll review a recommendation from a governor-appointed task force to increase gas taxes and tab fees in response to a projected $50 billion shortfall in transportation funding. The DFL majority and defeat of the marriage amendment in the 2012 election could even prompt the Legislature to take up the issue of gay marriage. And looming over everything is a projected $1.1 billion deficit that legislators will have to close before adjourning for the year. With so many issues on the …
Thursday, December 6, 2012
In a statement released yesterday, Rep. Ryan Winkler said that without revenue, we can't fix Minnesota's budget issues.
In light of Gov. Mark Dayton's statement on November's 2012 budget forecast, Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 44B), said that the only cure to Minnesota's budget issues is to find more revenue and invest in students and school. “With a $1.1 billion deficit, $1.1 billion owed to schools, class sizes at 47th in the nation, kids of color graduating at half the rate of white students, college and university funding at 1998 levels and student debt piling up, Minnesota’s budget is in tatters and we’re not investing in future prosperity," Winkler said in a press release. "We can’t fix these problems without more revenue." Winkler said the budget forecast shows that Minnesota will spend less on government in 2015 than it did in 1991. "We need to …
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction folded last week.
After it was announced last week that the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—a congressional super committee constructed to address the nation's budgetary problems—was no more, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) joined other Minnesota politicians in criticizing the committee's shortcomings. Ellison was most critical of the committee's lack of focus on jobs. In a joint statement released with Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who co-chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus with Ellison, the Minnesota representative said: "After manufacturing this crisis over the summer, Republicans insisted on protecting tax giveaways for millionaires and billionaires and eliminating the Medicare guarantee. Republicans seem more committed to protecting the one …
James Warden
4:16 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013
It's worth noting that chained CPI isn't only for Social Security benefits. The Atlantic Wire has a great article called "Chained CPI and You: A Primer": http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/04/what-is-chained-cpi/64083/ Here's the key part regarding it's other uses: "[Social Security is] not only thing the government uses CPI for. It's used to adjust income thresholds for government … more ›