Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said on Monday morning that some lawmakers will lose re-election because of tax increases that will pass this session.
"Some people are probably going to lose elections because we are going to raise some taxes," Bakk said at a University of Minnesota forum. "And Minnesotans...aren't going to understand why we need to do that but sometimes leading is not a popularity contest."
Bakk said that the 'die is cast' on higher income taxes on the wealthy and on the cigarette tax. Both will go up this year, although he said the Senate will likely include more high income people than other DFLers have proposed but at lower rate than some of the plans already released. Details of the Senate plans will be released in the next few days, perhaps voting on a tax bill on the Senate floor Saturday or Monday.
The House, meanwhile, included in its tax bill, a higher tax on alcohol and a surcharge on high earners. While at the same forum House Speaker Paul Thissen defended those -- and the fees included the House plan -- Bakk said neither would be in the Senate tax bill.
Bakk also said the alcohol tax the House is proposing will end up being higher than the seven cents a drink they've pitched.
"It's more than that," Bakk said.
Thissen said the new alcohol tax will only work out to about $25 a year for someone who has a beer every day.
"It hasn't been raised in over a quarter of a century, so it is probably a fair discussion." Thissen said.
