2018 MN Governor's race: on Tax Reform

Jeff Johnson: Trump tax cuts lower Minnesota taxes

Q: Support President Trump's tax cuts?

Jeff Johnson (R): Support Trump tax cuts, would lower Minnesota taxes.

Tim Walz (D): No. Opposed 2017 tax cuts. Says 86 million middle-class families will see taxes increase while top 1% get 83% of benefit. Cutting MN taxes means cutting programs.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Minnesota Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Tim Walz: Trump tax cuts go mostly to top 1%

Q: Support President Trump's tax cuts?

Jeff Johnson (R): Support Trump tax cuts, would lower Minnesota taxes.

Tim Walz (D): No. Opposed 2017 tax cuts. Says 86 million middle-class families will see taxes increase while top 1% get 83% of benefit. Cutting MN taxes means cutting programs.

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Minnesota Governor race Oct 9, 2018

Jeff Johnson: Growth comes from lower spending and increased take-home pay

Government's appetite for overspending in Minnesota goes hand in hand with the desire to push government programs and regulations into every corner of our lives. Taxes and spending issues are not only economic, they are moral. Empowering Minnesotans starts with us deciding how our hard-earned money is spent--not government. Reducing spending levels and increasing take-home pay will result in a badly needed explosion of economic activity, growth, and opportunity. Source: 2018 Minnesota JohnsonForGovernor.org campaign website Sep 1, 2018

Rebecca Otto: Fair and progressive taxes to pay for new benefits

Otto's plan also would provide coverage of mental health and chemical dependency treatment among other benefits. Paying for them would include reducing administrative costs, as well as duplicative and inefficient services and fraud. The plan would be funded half from "re-directed public dollars" and half from a package of "fair and progressive taxes to be developed with bipartisan input." Eliminating costly insurance premiums and deductibles would save Minnesotans money overall, her website notes.

Otto--who brings to the effort an auditor's emphasis on oversight and measurement--notes that the plan is a start, one that would be fine-tuned as it begins to account for the many variables in play.

It won't be possible to anticipate every unintended consequence, she acknowledges, and "we'll never get it perfect the first time." Instead, Otto calls the plan a "realistic start."

Source: Twin Cities Pioneer Press on 2018 Minnesota governor race Oct 25, 2017

Tina Liebling: Progressives taxation with a 4th tier for wealthiest

Tina believes that a fair tax system is "progressive," meaning those who earn more pay a larger percentage of their income. Minnesotans who are doing well must pay their fair share of taxes. Then Minnesota can afford to give everyone opportunities to succeed.

Adding a "fourth tier" higher income tax rate for the wealthiest Minnesotans was a good start. The next step should be to examine Minnesota's tax code for outdated, unfair tax breaks that favor the wealthy and don't move our economy forward.

Source: 2018 Minnesota governor campaign website TinaLiebling.com May 2, 2017

The above quotations are from 2018 Minnesota Gubernatorial race: debates and news coverage. Click here for definitions & background information on Tax Reform. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Erin Murphy on Tax Reform. Click here for more quotes by Chris Coleman on Tax Reform.
*Candidates and political leaders on Tax Reform:*
*Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:* GA:Chambliss(R) IA:Harkin(D) MI:Levin(D) MT:Baucus(D) NE:Johanns(R) OK:Coburn(R) SD:Johnson(D) WV:Rockefeller(D) *Resigned from 113th House:* AL-1:Jo Bonner(R) FL-19:Trey Radel(R) LA-5:Rod Alexander(R) MA-5:Ed Markey(D) MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R) NC-12:Melvin Watt(D) SC-1:Tim Scott(R)	*Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:* AR-4:Tom Cotton(R) GA-1:Jack Kingston(R) GA-10:Paul Broun(R) GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R) HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D) IA-1:Bruce Braley(D) LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R) ME-2:Mike Michaud(D) MI-14:Gary Peters(D) MT-0:Steve Daines(R) OK-5:James Lankford(R)