So far, state leaders have mostly talked about cuts and payment shifts to resolve the state's billion-dollar budget deficit.
On Thursday, state Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, is scheduled to unveil the legislative session's first proposal to increase taxes.
Bakk, the tax committee chairman and a candidate for governor, will offer a plan to help fund schools and take a bite out of the state budget deficit, according to a news release. Bakk wouldn't release details on his plan Wednesday, but earlier he had said he planned to offer a modest tax proposal, not something that would erase the entire deficit.
It's unclear how successful Bakk will be in pushing the plan.
Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- whose proposed budget fix relies on cuts, payment shifts and nearly $400 million in hoped-for federal dollars -- has remained firm that tax increases will not be part of the budget-balancing solution.
Unless DFLers can convince a few House Republicans to support a tax increase, Democrats lack the votes needed to override a veto.
For budget-lovers who want to be the first to see Bakk's proposal, he's holding a news conference at 9 a.m. Thursday in room 125 at the Capitol.
