The top Republican on the Minnesota Legislature's Tax Committee is slamming Gov. Tim Walz over his “egregious” and “lazy” tax policy regarding the state's excise tax on gasoline. The lawmaker suggested that this tax would hurt the state's low-income residents the most. .
“There's generally pretty strong resistance to introducing something into the inflator because it's — I call it a 'lazy man's tax increase' — because then what you do is , because there is no need to pass Congress to justify further tax increases,” he said. Congressman Greg Davids is the top Republican who leads the state's tax policy. “Wealthy people say, “If[the excise tax]goes up 10 cents a gallon because of inflation, what's going to happen? But for people in the district that I represent, it's 35 miles to the Mayo Clinic. “I drive to work in Rochester.'' It's a lot of money to go to work in Rochester, or to go to another job in Rochester, and now it's going up every year no matter what. ”
Davids, who has served nine terms on the state Legislature's Taxation Committee, including three as chairman and four as Republican leader, said Friday that the decision to tie the state's gas tax to an index was a “very poor” decision. “Tax Policy” and argued for its regressivity. Nature and the fact that it “hits the poorest of the poor the most.”
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“I'm trying to stay away from regressive taxes. I'm trying to stay away from inflators,” Davids said. “Because if your cause is good enough, you'll get an increase. But to put something out there just because it's done without the people's representation is, in my estimation, bad tax policy. is.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, along with DFL legislative leaders and their committee members, held a ceremonial 2023 budget signing party on the steps of the State Capitol. Walz stood before hundreds of supporters and touted the nearly $72 billion in budget accomplishments made possible by Democratic Party (DFL) control of the state Legislature and the governor's office. (Photo by Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
In 2019, Walz's first budget proposal as governor would raise the state's gasoline tax by 70%, making the state the nation's highest gasoline excise tax after California, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Illinois. It will become a state. The proposal passed the Democratic-controlled House but stalled after reaching the Senate.
Then, in the 2022 election year, Walz called on the federal government to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline. At the time, Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hahn called the move a “laughable political stunt,” given that Walz and his Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) colleagues have “always supported” raising the gas tax. ” he called.
Currently, Minnesota is at the bottom of the gas tax rankings, but that will change after next year's index increase. These increases move Minnesota up 11 spots on the list to No. 21 in the nation.
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According to AAA, the current average gas price in Minnesota is $3.06, down from $3.43 a year ago. This photo shows a gas pump. (Getty Images)
Under the Walz administration, Minnesota achieved tax cuts for the middle class, including expanding the child tax credit and lowering the Social Security tax rate. But Davids questioned what Walz and his fellow DFL members did to squander a record budget surplus of about $18 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, Davids said Minnesota is expected to have a deficit of about $1.5 billion by 2026.
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Other measures under the Walz administration included efforts to raise taxes on corporations and the wealthy, including a new “surtax” on long-term investment returns.
The Tax Foundation, a bipartisan tax policy nonprofit in the nation's capital, compares Walz's tax policies to those of Harris' other running mates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy. Regarding this, he called him an “abnormal person.” Beshar.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky. All three are longtime Democrats.
“Governors bring administrative experience, and they also outperform legislators’ policy records in the sense that a governor’s signature or veto can enact (or block) law in a way that a single vote in the Legislature rarely can. and a concrete policy record,” the foundation writes. A report released a few weeks ago outlined Walz's tax policy as Minnesota governor. “Observers will no doubt look to the Harris-Waltz ticket as governor to find out what kind of policies Walz might favor at the federal level, and what that tells us about the Harris-Waltz ticket. Mr. Walz's background will be scrutinized.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's news office and the Harris-Waltz campaign for comment, but did not receive a response on the record.
