COLUMN: Government Thriving at the Expense of Taxpayers

Government Thriving at the Expense of Taxpayers

By Representative Terry Stier

For many of us, the American Dream means working hard, earning promotions, and building a better life: a home, a family, maybe even that white picket fence. But here in Minnesota, that dream is slipping further and further out of reach. Families are picking up extra shifts, paying for braces, medical bills, and vet expenses, and hoping to save enough for a rare family vacation. Yet no matter how hard they work, it feels like they’re barely keeping their heads above water.

At the heart of the issue is the ever-expanding growth of government, a government that spends recklessly, turns a blind eye to billions in fraud, and then demands more from taxpayers to stay afloat. Each new crisis or deficit becomes an excuse to raise taxes again, all while basic services like roads, schools, and public safety continue to receive Band-Aid fixes.

Minnesota’s state government has grown massively in size, yet the results continue to decline. Roads and bridges are deteriorating, literacy rates are falling, and crime is climbing. Minnesotans are paying more but getting less. That is the direct result of a government that keeps expanding, spending, and taxing without accountability. Instead of making our state stronger or more affordable, this endless growth has driven up the cost of living while delivering diminishing returns.

For years, Minnesota has ranked among the highest-taxed states in the nation. Here, working hard and climbing the ladder often means getting penalized for success. Our top income tax rate is 9.85 percent, closely following New York’s 10.9 percent, and California’s 13.3 percent. Why should a Minnesotan working overtime or earning a promotion face a tax burden similar to someone living in Los Angeles or Manhattan? Meanwhile, states like Florida, Alaska, and Nevada have no income tax at all, and others such as Arizona (2.5 percent) or Colorado (4.4 percent) keep their rates low and flat.

A Minnesotan earning $100,000 would owe roughly $14,000 in federal income tax and about $6,500 in state income tax, for a combined total of around $20,500, nearly one-fifth of their income. Then add in property taxes that continue to rise across the state, a 6.85 percent sales tax on most purchases, and nearly 32 cents per gallon in gas taxes, which are set to rise again in January. When you compare that to states like Arizona, where the gas tax is just 19 cents per gallon and overall costs are far lower, it’s easy to see how much harder it’s becoming for Minnesota families to get ahead.

But the issue isn’t just how much the government takes, it’s what they do with it. Minnesota’s budget continues to balloon, but the return for taxpayers keeps shrinking. Billions have been lost to fraud in programs like Feeding Our Future and Housing Stabilization Services. Meanwhile, state leaders spent roughly $730 million on a new State Office Building that nobody outside the Capitol asked for.

Despite record spending, Democrats are once again talking about raising taxes to fill a $6.5 billion deficit in the years ahead. This cycle of tax, spend, and repeat has become standard practice in St. Paul. Instead of addressing waste and reforming broken systems, the response is always to ask taxpayers for more.

Minnesotans cannot afford this. They deserve a government that respects their hard work and focuses on core services like safe roads, strong schools, and public safety, not endless bureaucracy and vanity projects.

It’s time to change course. That means cutting wasteful spending, ending political pet projects, and prioritizing what really matters. Lower taxes, smaller government, and smarter priorities are how we make Minnesota affordable again for working families.

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