Minnesota Dept. of Revenue: Walz Tax Proposals Would Hurt the Poor Most

A new analysis from Gov. Tim Walz’s own Department of Revenue shows that his tax proposals would hurt the poorest Minnesotans the most.

The Tax Research Division of the Minnesota Department of Revenue released its tax incidence analysis Tuesday, and looked at the combined changes that would be made under Walz’s tax, transportation, and health and human services bills.

Overall, the report found that the combined increase in tax collections under Walz’s budget proposal is estimated to be $2.372 billion in 2021, of which $2.104 billion is “borne by Minnesota residents.”

The average increase in total taxes paid would be 6.52 percent, though the increases would be higher for the bottom five income brackets than the top five. Specifically, the analysis shows that the lowest income bracket would see an 8.5 percent increase in tax burdens while the highest income bracket would see a 4.3 percent increase.

Looked at a different way, Minnesotans’ state and local tax burden would increase by an average of 0.76 percent of income. The report, however, states that “the increased tax burden is largest for the lowest deciles and declines at higher income ranges.”

The tax burden for the top one percent of earners would increase by 0.38 percent of income, compared to the average of 0.76 percent of income.

The report concludes by noting that the lowest five income brackets, referred to as deciles in the report, earn 15.1 percent of all income but are estimated to pay 23 percent or more of the increases.

Sen. Roger Chamberlain (R-Lino Lakes), chair of the Senate Taxes Committee, said Tuesday that the report “confirms what we’ve said all along.”

“His (Walz) tax proposal will hurt middle class and hard working Minnesotans the most. Democrats can talk all they want about the rich paying their fair share, but now we know it’s just a slogan,” Chamberlain said in a press release. “Tomorrow, Senate Republicans will go through a responsible tax bill that will benefit all Minnesotans and fund their priorities.”

Walz spokesman Teddy Tschann responded to the report in a statement provided to The Star Tribune.

“Minnesotans agree that every child deserves a high-quality education, that we need to lower the cost of health care and that we need to fix our crumbling roads and bridges. Gov. Walz proposed a budget to improve the lives of Minnesotans and explained exactly how he’ll pay for it,” he said. “It’s time for Minnesota Republicans to do the same.”

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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Tim Walz” by Tim Walz.