Sen. John Marty Looks for State to Get Budget in Order

Tony Nickelsen January 9, 2013 at 05:27 pm

The only way we are going to solve our continuous state budget woes is to compromise on state spending and to overhaul the state tax code. Until this is accomplished, I see us continuously living in the "red ink"!!!

Scott Carlson (Editor) January 10, 2013 at 05:34 am

Tony, yes we need to get something done. How about scrapping everything and going to a flat tax?

roger b hess jr January 10, 2013 at 12:56 pm

forget a flat tax and all other taxes. let's go to a transaction fee like the fee charged for taking cash out of an atm. the state could charge 3% on every financial transaction that takes place in minnesota, whether depositing a check into a checking account, taking money out, buying a pack of gum, selling a share of stock, buying a house, anytime money changes hands, the state takes a 3% cut. give part of that 3% to the counties and cities so that property taxes can be eliminated.
in the mean time, expand the sales tax to include all services. since we are a service based economy, charging sales tax only on certain goods doesn't make much sense. but all this new money needs to go to paying off what the state owes, not to expand spending. once the state has paid off its debts with the new money, then reduce the percentage taken for this transaction fee. people who do a lot of transactions would pay a higher overall tax than people who do few transactions.

Tony Nickelsen January 10, 2013 at 04:53 pm

State Sen. Baak of Cook did propose looking at increasing sales taxes on goods and services but was shot down! We still have a spending problem in this state caused by too much entitlement. Increasing the state budget just brings more entitlement. It's time to propose an across the board fair and equal tax code that will bring the spending down to the levels of dollars coming into the state coffers.