Dear Neighbor,
House Republicans have unveiled the North Star Comeback, a plan to provide nearly $4 billion in tax relief, the largest in state history. It eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, cuts car tab fees, delivers $1 billion in one-time property tax relief, and lowers childcare costs… and we’re just getting started.
It’s a serious, substantive package built around a simple idea: Minnesota families deserve to keep more of their own money.
House Democrats have made it abundantly clear they disagree.
The North Star Comeback is a series of bills that protect family budgets, make government actually work for Minnesotans, and build an economy where businesses can survive without fleeing to neighboring states. These aren’t fringe ideas, they’re exactly what Minnesotans are asking for.
Families are squeezed. Businesses are struggling. Local governments are drowning in unfunded mandates. And the reason is simple: the former Democrat trifecta sent state spending soaring by 40 percent and piled on $10 billion in tax increases while they had full control of the Capitol. Minnesota now ranks among the worst states in the nation for overall tax burden.
That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because Democrats spent two years passing extreme legislation driven by activists, rather than focusing on what’s best for all Minnesotans.
That’s why House Republicans have worked to put forward real solutions to reverse the damage, ease the burden on taxpayers, and get our state back on a more sustainable path. There’s just one problem: Democrats are blocking these bills. Every. Single. Time.
They blocked a bill that would have delivered $2.05 billion in tax relief to 66,000 Minnesota businesses at zero cost to the state, simply by conforming to the federal tax code. It’s a free win for small businesses, and Democrats shut it down. In similar fashion, they blocked legislation that would have allowed Minnesota schools to receive an infusion of funding by capitalizing on a federal tax benefit, again at no cost to the state.
House Democrats also blocked $1 billion in property tax relief at a time when rates are rising across the state – after those same Democrats imposed scores of costly, unfunded mandates on local governments. That’s $1 billion that could have gone directly to seniors being taxed out of homes some have lived in for decades. The same day they rejected that bill, they also stopped legislation to reduce vehicle tab fees, which are among the highest in the nation. Wisconsin charges a flat $85. Minnesotans are paying sticker-shock prices, but Democrats blocked relief anyway.
Let’s be honest about what this is. It’s not a policy disagreement. Democrats aren’t offering serious alternatives. They’re not negotiating in good faith. They’re simply saying “no” to tax relief for businesses, “no” to property tax relief for seniors, “no” to lower tab fees for drivers, and “no” to anything else that might give Minnesotans a break.
The solutions are ready. The votes are there if even a single Democrat decides to represent their constituents instead of catering to the radical activists.
The question is whether any of them are willing to get serious in these final weeks of session. So far, we’ve seen little urgency to deliver results for Minnesotans.
Walz’s “truth” commission
Speaking of misplaced priorities, the governor recently created a 15-member council to document and preserve the “truth” about Operation Metro Surge. The group will gather testimony and produce a public record of alleged impacts on Minnesotans, with a final report due by the end of the year.
Here’s the problem: Gov. Walz – who has consistently criticized Operation Metro Surge – will appoint 13 of the council’s 15 members. That raises serious questions about how objective this process will be. At this rate, the only thing likely to be revealed is what a farce this “truth” commission really is.
Sincerely,
Walter