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1. Dome Sweet Dome
2. Slots for Billionaires
3. Property Values Down, Property Taxes Up
4. Property Tax Hike for Books and Baseball
5. Stimulus Dollars for Beer Drinkers
6. Become a Taxpayer Watchdog!
Dome Sweet Dome
At the last regular season game in front of 54,000 screaming fans, the Minnesota Twins clinched the American League's Central Division Championship in a 12-inning thriller. It was a one-game playoff, after the Detroit Tigers and Twins tied with the exact same record following the 162-game regular season.
It was a cold and damp night, but the players, coaches and fans were warm and dry within the confines of the Metrodome's inflatable roof. Not a bad place to watch a baseball game on a rainy night in October, let alone football on a bone-chilling day in December.
Now, with the Twins and Gophers gone, the Vikings want to ditch the Dome. They have been seeking a taxpayer subsidy for years, claiming they need a new stadium. Their current proposal is for a $950 million facility which would cost taxpayers more than $700 million.
To read more, click here.
Slots for Billionaires
Aiding billionaire Zygi Wilf in an effort to ditch the dome is Representative Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar. He is proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the use of revenue from slot machines at the two existing metro-area horse racing facilities to fund a new Vikings stadium.
The proposal sounds plausible - fund a new stadium without a general tax increase. The problem is, government will tax gambling just like it taxes movie tickets and all other forms of entertainment. Hackbarth claims using revenue from slots is OK because it's not a general tax increase. No, it's worse because it's a regressive tax that will hit low wage earners.
He argues that state-sponsored slots are an opportunity for state government to get the gambling profits that otherwise would go elsewhere. In reality these revenues, derived from gambling, take money that families would have spent on basic consumer goods.
These "voluntary taxes" as Hackbarth touts are highly regressive, amounting to little more than the state picking the pocket of low wage earners to subsidize a billionaire. To think Minnesota lawmakers want to peddle false hope and confiscate cash from its poorest citizens to fatten Wilf's pocketbook is outrageous.
To read more, click here.
Property Values Down, Property Taxes Up
A recent story in the Pioneer Press highlights the fact that the way property taxes are calculated is like an algebraic formula. But that's not the real issue property owners should be concerned about. The real issue is that as property values are dropping like a rock, the insatiable appetite for increased spending by local units of government keeps pushing property taxes up.
Counties, cities and school districts are finding ways to spend more money and passing the burden onto homeowners. Local units of government receive the greatest share of their revenue from residential property taxes and therefore despite a drop in property value, most homeowners will see an increase in property taxes in 2010.
Also remember that commercial property, often small business owners, bear the brunt of property tax increases due to tax formulas putting a heavier burden on commercial property.
To highlight this situation, look no further than Minneapolis. Instead of tightening its belt, the City of Minneapolis is moving toward approving Mayor R.T. Rybak's proposal to increase the city's levy by 11.3 percent. Last month the Board of Estimate and Taxation approved the whopping increase making it the city's maximum levy increase for 2010.
Mayor Rybak's proposal marks the first time in years that the city levy has increased by more than 8 percent. And to think this guy wants to be governor.
Property Tax Hike for Books and Baseball
Even after cutting 163 jobs and reducing capital improvements, Hennepin County is still seeking to raise property taxes by 3 percent in 2010. Last month County Administrator Richard Johnson presented a $1.6 billion budget to the county board for 2010, down 6 percent from this year's $1.71 billion.
At first the situation reads like a tale of woe, but the announcement comes in a year in which the county will deliver two new suburban libraries and see the opening of the Twins new $525 million ballpark.
Instead of Hennepin County commissioners accepting blame for authorizing a countywide tax to fund the Twins ballpark, commissioners were eager to blast Governor Pawlenty for shifting the state's budget problems onto them. Unable to spend tax dollars wisely, Hennepin County continues to blame the Governor for his unwillingness to shovel money into the open pit of local government spending.
To read more, click here.
Stimulus Dollars for Beer Drinkers
As more and more bizarre stories surface on how federal stimulus money is being spent, we recently came across this one in the Winona Daily News, and thought it was one of the more interesting examples of how the money is being distributed here in Minnesota.
The Winona Daily News discovered that a Winona bar has received a $120,000 business loan funded by the $787 billion federal stimulus bill. The bar, known as the Hei and Low Tap, used the money for a recent remodeling project.
While the Taxpayers League certainly doesn't hold anything against small business owners doing remodeling, we ask, is this a good use of our tax dollars? But the larger question is, does President Obama think this is job creation? A private business receiving taxpayer dollars to remodel a bar?
According to the Star Tribune, 11,800 jobs were saved or created from stimulus spending.
However, in their announcement state officials don't have statistics as to how many of the jobs created were in the public sector as opposed to the private sector. Nor does the report make clear whether or not the stimulus spending is merely increasing the size of government by creating more government jobs. Suffice it to say, creating government jobs does nothing more than grow government and increase taxes.
Become a Taxpayer Watchdog
The Taxpayers League of Minnesota will hold its second Minnesota Watchdog training session Saturday, October 24 in downtown Minneapolis. The goal is to train concerned citizens from across the state to become local taxpayer watchdogs, tracking local government activities in their own backyard.
Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the conference concluding no later than 1:30 p.m.
The event will feature instruction and panel discussions on:
* Legal issues involving the Freedom of Information Act, Minnesota Data Practices Act, and Minnesota Open Meeting Law
* How to work with traditional and new media
* How to analyze local government documents and financial data
A list of speakers, the complete agenda and directions to the event will be e-mailed to confirmed participants. Participation is limited to 30 students and enrollment is filling rapidly, so register today! Registration is free and breakfast and lunch are provided.
For registration or questions, please e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or call 651-294-3590. |
