During the government “shutdown” many people were demanding that the government increase taxes on “the rich.” Dayton thought that sounded like a swell plan because as everybody knows the smartest thing you can do during an economic depression is steal even more money from productive people. Well that idea sounds even more ridiculous now that Minnesota already ranks seventh in the list of states with the highest tax burdens:
7. Minnesota
Taxes paid by residents as pct. of income: 10.3%
Total state and local taxes collected: $45.7 billion
Pct. of total taxes paid by residents: 75.5%
Pct. of total taxes paid by non-residents: 24.5%Less than 25% of Minnesota’s tax revenue comes from non-residents and businesses. The state only collects average, or below average, rates on alcohol and tobacco, and has one of the smallest tourism economies in the country. This means the state relies heavily on income and property taxes from residents. Minnesota has the 21st largest population in the country, but it collects the 12th most in tax revenue each year. The state and local taxes collected per capita is the seventh highest in the country, as is the tax burden as a percent of income.
By Thor in Valhalla! We’re right behind fucking California. Minnesota is only the 21st largest state yet we collect the 12th most in taxes. That’s a fucked up ratio right there. And to top it all off we can’t even keep the government running at its current capacity without either generating a giant deficit or robbing people of even more money. Who in the fuck thinks this is a sound way to run a state?
Meanwhile New Hampshire, which has no income or sales tax, ranks number seven on the list of states with lowest tax burdens. Everybody who wants to increase the tax rate of anybody in this state can kindly go sodomize themselves with a retractable baton… and not by baton either, go buy your own fucking baton (and stop trying to steal shit from other people).