Residual Forces

Well the MN Chamber of Commerce has sided against commerce and sided with more Government oppression and economic skimming. That’s right, they’ve uped their gas tax increase wager, and have doubled, nay, quadrupled down on more new taxes.

The board of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is ratcheting up the pressure on Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the 2008 Legislature to significantly increase transportation spending.

The chamber, long a backer of a 5-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax, now backs a 7.5-cent boost, with the additional 2.5 cents to be used for debt service on $500 million in bonding for roads and bridges.

The Chamber did not side with the already over taxed and over burdened Minnesota businesses and consumers, but instead want the Government to tax and take more money out of the economy by making goods and servies even more expensive.

CHAMBER’S PROPOSAL

• 7.5-cent gas-tax increase, a third of which would be used for debt service on $500 million in bonds.

• Higher license-tab fees for new cars, to raise $115 million.

• $100 million per year investment in transit, with funding to come from taxes paid on development near new lines, higher fares, bonding and, under certain conditions, up to a 0.25-cent increase in the metro-area sales tax.

• Dedication of leased-vehicle sales tax to roads and transit.

The gas tax they propose wouldn’t go to new roads, but rather for paying off old debt.

Another burden for new cars, yep even higher taxes. Of course some of us know no more than 40% of that money can go to roads. Yep, thanks to the MVST amendment (which the Chamber helped push last year), at laste 60% of any vehicle sales tax money must go to transit. Transit is not roads and bridges.

Socking it to the Twin Cities with a higher metro wide sales tax. Hmmm, gee, do you think people may go out of the metro for those big ticket sales?

If you are a Chamber member, I encourage you to reconsider your membership. They have finally given into the notion that Government needs more money to make things better. Unfortunately, we’ve been pouring tens of billions of dollars into Government for years in Minnesota, and for some reason things aren’t getting better.

The state is facing a recession, and we have the leading business group in the state advocating tax increases? Seriously? Talk about getting in bed with the enemy.

The Chamber has a feedback email link on their page (way at the bottom), or you can call them at 800-821-2230.

Minnesota is already the 11th most taxed burdened state in the Nation. Now the Chamber of Commerce wants us to move even farther up a list that will do nothing but harm the constituents of the Chamber.

Business is reeling in Minnesota the last few years. One can only think it is because of groups like the chamber who are no longer fighting in the best interests of the free citizens and businesses that employ them.

The Chamber’s plan is based on strong economic performance in order to keep the funding flowing, but as we all know, the economy does go up and down. I am astonished at the proposal from the chamber. It is seriously like they believe that the Government doesn’t have enough money already. $35 billion should be enough my friends.

Maybe the Chamber should take a step back and look at the big picture. That is, the fact that businesses are no longer choosing Minnesota when they are looking for a new home. And, a lot of businesses are closing their doors, or hitting the highway. Minnesota is unfriendly to business, and here we have the leading business advocate in the state trying to make it even harder for Minnesota businesses to compete.