Did T-Paw Quietly Impose Back-Door Tax Hike On Thousands Of Constituents?
This broke quietly in a Minnesota paper, but it could still make a bit of trouble for Tim Pawlenty in advance of the 2012 GOP primary.
Over the weekend the Star Tribune reported that Pawlenty quietly canceled a 40-year-old tax-reciprocity program with Wisconsin, under which residents of both states who work in the other state file a single tax return.
By nixing the plan, residents of both states will now have to file two returns — one for each state. And for various arcane reasons, Pawlenty’s nixing of the program would generate $131 million to close the Minnesota state government’s multi-billion-dollar budget gap.
But the rub is in the Star Tribune’s conclusion: Roughly 8,000 Minnesotan residents will have to pay $300 more in taxes per year.
Pawlenty has repeatedly pledged not to raise taxes, turning him into an anti-tax hero of sorts. But now he’s nixed a 40-year-old deal between the two states, effectively hitting some of his constituents with a tax hike in order to close the budget gap he’d pledged not to close with higher taxes.
Pawlenty appears to be working overtime to position himself as viable to the right-wing base in advance of the 2012 primary. And in that race, even a back-door tax hike will be used as ammo against him. You watch…
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Hypocrisy, thy name is Pawlenty.
The Republicans are always: Do as I say not as I do.
Remember “read my lips…?” And the ensuing tax hike to try to stave off yet another Republican Recession, that was not successful?
Why does anyone at all in America still think they can trust the Republicans with their money. The entire 20th century was one long Republican monetary disaster every time the got ahold of power and we started the 21st century the same damn way.
Arrrrgh. Why is it this country refuses to pay any attention to history?
Carter/ REAGAN
Bush/CLINTON
your point? Reagan was a dreadful president who began the ruination of not only the US Postal Service, but also the entire airline industry and our air traffic controller system, and labor unions, among many other things.
Well, he was the great conqueror of Granada, with Her Ladyship.
Pawlenty is great at taxing without new taxes. The health impact fee on cigarettes is a good example.
HOOVER/FDR
Tena,
Grenada. I am still working on getting a monument on the mall for Ronald Reagan’s great war.
It took FDR around four years, to defeat the twin empires of Japan and Germany, while it only took Ronald Reagan a couple of days to defeat the overwhelming military advantage of Grenada.
“Grenada. I am still working on getting a monument on the mall for Ronald Reagan’s great war.”
LOL!
And who started “T-Paw” anyway? It’s so absurd that I laugh every time I see it. For some reason, Andy Samberg’s “I’m on a Boat” video flashes through my mind – the part where T-Pain is dancing rubber-legged on the bow after his verse that ends: “I f***ed a mermaid…”
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