In a divided Minnesota Legislature, nothing divides like a $1.2 billion tax plan

They don’t even use the same terminology, though the words they do use say a lot about how far apart they are.

The revenue bill proposed by DFLers in the Legislature would provide $1.2 billion, money that constitutes necessary resources to make needed investments, Democrats say. But for the Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate, the funds aren’t resources — they’re taxes. And the money isn’t an investment — it’s just more government spending.

There are many issues at play in the 2019 session of the Minnesota Legislature that expose the expanse of philosophical space between the DFL and the GOP. But there’s perhaps no bigger divide than that over taxes — differences that have only gotten larger as the DFL moves leftward on the issue while the GOP moves further to the right.

Restoring fairness or wreaking havoc?

On Monday, the DFL House majority released the tax plan they say will add $1.2 billion to the state’s revenues of around $49.8 billion over two years.

Read more: https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2019/04/in-a-divided-minnesota-legislature-nothing-divides-like-a-1-2-billion-tax-plan/