Minnesota Senate Passes Income Tax Increase

Minnesota Senate Passes Income Tax Increase
How Did Your Senator Vote?

(April 24, 2009) St. Paul--The Minnesota Senate passed a bill on that would, among a myriad of other tax changes, increase all state income tax brackets, although somewhat temporarily. The new rates are for tax years 2009 through 2013, with a return to current rates in the expiration year. The current rates are changed as follows:

Current/New Tax Rate Income
5.35% to 6.00% $0- $31,860
7.05% to 7.70% $31,860 - $126,580
7.85% to 8.50% $126,580 -$250,000

New fourth tier rate is 9.25 percent
o $250,000 for married individuals filing joint returns
o $212,500 for unmarried individuals qualifying as head of household
o $141,250 for unmarried individuals
o $125,000 for married filing separately

These income tax increase do expire beginning after a February forecast with a positive general fund balance projection for that year that exceeds or equals the projected amount of tax revenue produced by the increased tax rates. Who really knows when that will be? The bill is now headed to conference committee where the House and Senate will negotiate a final tax bill; both have to vote to re-pass it before it can be presented to the Governor.
Note: Astute political observers will note the DFL Caucus did intentionally attempt to protect some suburban/vulnerable/swing district DFL members by letting them vote against the taxes increases.

The roll was called, and there were yeas 35 and nays 31, as follows:
Those who voted in the affirmative were:
Anderson –St. Paul (DFL)
Bakk –Cook (DFL)
Berglin—Mpls.(DFL)
Betzold—Fridley (DFL)
Chaudhary—Fridley (DFL)
Clark—St. Cloud (DFL)
Cohen—St. Paul (DFL)
Dibble—Mpls (DFL)
Foley—Coon Rapids (DFL)
Higgins—Mpls. (DFL)
Johnson—Ham Lake (R)
Kelash—Mpls. (DFL)
Kubly—Granite Falls (DFL)
Langseth—Glyndon (DFL)
Latz—St. Louis Park (DFL)
Lourey—Kerrick (DFL)
Marty—Roseville (DFL)
Metzen—South St. Paul (DFL)
Moua—St. Paul (DFL)
Murphy—Red Wing (DFL)
Pappas—St. Paul (DFL)
Pogemiller—Mpls (DFL)
Prettner Solon—Duluth (DFL)
Rest—New Hope (DFL)
Saxhaug—Grand Rapids (DFL)
Scheid—Brooklyn P. (DFL)
Sheran—Mankato (DFL)
Sieben—Newport (DFL)
Skoe—Clearbrook (DFL)
Sparks—Austin (DFL)
Stumpf –Plummer (DFL)
Tomassoni—Chisholm (DFL)
Torres Ray—Mpls. (DFL)
Vickerman—Tracy (DFL)
Wiger—Maplewood (DFL)
Those who voted in the negative were:
Carlson—Eagan (DFL)
Dahle—Northfield (DFL)
Day—Owatonna (R)
Dille—Dassel (R)
Doll—Burnsville (DFL)
Erickson Ropes—Winona (DFL)
Fischbach—Paynesville (R)
Fobbe—Zimmerman (DFL)
Frederickson—New Ulm (R)
Gerlach—Apple Valley (R)
Gimse—Willmar (R)
Hann—Eden Prairie (R)
Ingebrigtsen—Alexandria (R)
Jungbauer-- East Bethel (R)
Koch—Buffalo (R)
Koering—Fort Ripley (R)
Limmer—Maple Grove (R)
Lynch—Rochester (DFL)
Michel—Edina (R)
Olseen—Harris (DFL)
Olson, G. –Minnetrista (R)
Olson, M.—Bemidji (DFL)
Ortman—Chanhassen (R)
Pariseau—Farmington (R)
Robling—Jordan (R)
Rosen—Fairmont (R)
Rummel—White Bear Lake (DFL)
Saltzman—Woodbury (DFL)
Senjem—Rochester (R)
Skogen—Hewitt (DFL)
Vandeveer—Forest Lake (R)