Minnesota Governor Drops Reform Parts of Tax Reform Proposal

Last month, we analyzed the disappointing tax plan suggested by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D). The proposal would have added a new top income tax bracket and sharply hiked cigarette taxes, and included a poorly-designed revamp of the state’s sales tax system, a sharply-criticized property tax rebate program, and a welcomed corporate income tax rate reduction.

In theory, promising sales tax reform includes base broadening and rate reduction. By including more transactions in the base, a state can reduce the overall rate without any negative revenue implications. Unfortunately, this reform is both politically difficult and tough to get right.

Governor Dayton’s first budget attempt would have expanded the sales tax to services, but many of these services would have been classified business inputs. Taxing business inputs is problematic because it causes tax pyramiding and leads to associated economic distortions. Although expanding the sales tax to services is generally a good way to broaden the tax base, care has to be taken to ensure inputs are excluded. Further, service providers don’t often take too kindly to such a measure.

As expected, many service businesses within the state voiced opposition to the proposal. After the Minnesota Management and Budget Office announced that the state’s projected deficit wouldn’t be as high as has been originally predicted, the Governor was able to scrap the unpopular sales tax scheme. He also withdrew his suggestion to lower the corporate income tax rate.

The Governor’s revised plan includes the following (see page 15 of this document for specific tax-related revisions):

• increased income taxes on higher-income Minnesotans,
• higher cigarette and tobacco excise taxes,
• a new property tax provision that would increase local government aid and fund a renter’s and homeowner’s property tax refund,
• extension of the “Minnesota Working Family Tax Credit,” and
• closure of “business tax loopholes” (although I’m finding it difficult to locate specific details of this provision).

Governor Dayton removed all of the promising parts of his original plans—such as the corporate income tax reduction and the sales tax base expansion. The sales tax portion, though not without serious issues, could have been fixed by exempting business inputs. Instead of using the state’s more promising revenue projections to push for positive tax reform, the Governor instead proposed an easy-sell tax plan that does little to improve the business and tax climate within the state.

More on Minnesota here.

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