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RELEASE: Statement from Rep. Haley on Gov. Walz's Budget Proposal

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

STATEMENT FROM REP. HALEY ON GOV. WALZ'S BUDGET PROPOSAL

ST. PAUL — State Representative Barb Haley, R-Red Wing, issued the following statement regarding Gov. Tim Walz's 2021-2022 budget proposal. Gov. Walz is proposing a 10% hike to Minnesota's top tax bracket, a 15 percent hike to Minnesota's business tax, and regressive tax hikes on cigarettes and vaping products that disproportionately hit low-income Minnesotans. The Governor is proposing just .3% in cuts ($150 million) out of a $52+ billion budget.

"The budget proposal put forward today by the governor was disappointing. At a time when so many Minnesota families and businesses are struggling to make it through the pandemic and shutdowns, raising taxes, unnecessarily, on job creators is not the way to close our budget deficit. Instead, we should be looking at closing our budget deficit by using our budget reserves and spending cuts — state government must engage in the belt-tightening every Minnesota business and family has done over the past year. 

"Fortunately, we have a divided state government in Minnesota and the final two-year budget will be a bipartisan compromise. I look forward to working to find that compromise during this legislative session."

Lawmakers and the Governor must pass a new two-year budget by June 30 to avoid a state government shutdown.

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