More MN House

Lower Property Taxes or GIMMICK?

Please see below an email I received from State Rep Candidate Dale Lueck. You may find it interesting!:

Radinovich and Ward said the following in their Legislative Update dated March 14, 2014. “After more than a decade of property tax hikes, Minnesotans will pay less in property taxes statewide in 2014” Ward & Radinovich went on to say, “According to non-partisan House Research, when including direct relief, statewide property taxes for homeowners are decreasing by $161 million or 4.9 percent.”

DFL Property Tax Gimmicks – Courtesy of Representative Radinovich and Ward

The Minnesota Department of Revenue indicates that statewide property tax levies payable in 2014 are $8.458 billion dollars as compared to $8.342 billion dollars in 2013. That is $116 million dollars more than 2013 property taxes! That data is directly from the MN Department of Revenue, not from the so called non-partisan “house research simulation.”

Here are the key points directly out of House Research Simulation #14A2X, “Statewide, property taxes are forecast to decrease by $10 million, or 0.1%. This is achieved through an increase of $124 million on gross property taxes before the homestead credit refund and the renters’ property tax refund, and a projected increase of $133 million in the homestead credit refund and the renters’ property tax refund.”

“On a statewide average basis, property tax changes on existing properties vary from -4.9% (on residential homesteads) to +11.1% (on agricultural property). Changes on the largest property types are -0.1% on residential rental property, +0.3% on commercial-industrial property, +1.7% on public utility property, and -0.5% on seasonal-recreational property.”

“The simulations are estimates only. House Research strives to make property tax simulations accurate, but simulations are only approximations of reality. Generally the results are most accurate on a statewide level, and tend to be less accurate as the jurisdiction under scrutiny gets smaller.”

How do these numbers square up? They don’t! Believe the MN Department of Revenue, not the Radinovich-Ward spin! Despite their promises, overall Minnesota property taxes increased this year.

They attempted something that has failed many times in the past. They thought they could buy down local property taxes from Saint Paul. They increased local government aid by $80 million, county program aid by $40 million, granted a much overdue sales tax exemption of $172 million dollars and increased homeowner and rental refunds by $133 million dollars.

Multiple choice - only one correct answer. Why did 2014 property taxes go up after these two wizards spent over $425 million dollars trying to buy down local property taxes?

a. They don’t know what they are doing with respect to local property taxes.

b. This was a $425 million dollar political gimmick to ensure both get reelected.

c. Both of the above. (see the video above for a 3 minute expose’ on DFL property tax double speak)

We can do better than this. I don’t play games with numbers and will be honest with the citizens of Aitkin and Crow Wing County. 

Visit http://www.votedalelueck10b.com/issues.html for more information on Dale and to donate to our effort to restore honesty in Saint Paul.

Sincerely Yours,

Dale Lueck, Candidate

MN House District 10B