May 20, 2008

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New law sets limits on Minnesota's rising property taxes

New law sets limits on Minnesota's rising property taxes (Duluth News Tribune, May 20, 2008)

Minnesota cities face caps on tax revenues (Winona Daily News, May 20, 2008)

Minnesota cities face caps on tax revenues (KSTP Channel 5, May 19, 2008)

Citizens League Director of Policy Development Bob DeBoer comments on the property tax cap that was part of the end-of-session budget deal.

Unfortunately, the comments in the story do not reflect the main points that the Citizens League tried to make when interviewed for this story.

  • The Citizens League has not and was not involved in proposing a property tax cap, yet it was important in constructing a budget deal which we hope built trust for a productive 2009-2010 biennium.
  • If the property tax cap leads to innovation and a stronger involvement by citizens in local government budgeting, that would be a good thing.
  • The Citizens League has major concerns about a property tax cap as a long-term approach. It is a blunt instrument and we are also concerned that it might not help the relationship between citizens and local governments.
  • The Citizens League did not respond in any way to the assertion by Senator Latz that property tax increases will simply go up more after the cap is removed.