According to this Strib article, Minnesota’s gas tax might double over the next decade. Talk about a total disaster for Minnesotans. This should scare the daylights out of every Minnesotan because it exposes the DFL for the tax increase addicts that they are.

The proposed 10-cent-a-gallon gasoline-tax increase moving through the Minnesota Legislature could end up being higher than that, maybe more than twice as high.

Tucked away in a big transportation funding bill being fast-tracked to a Senate floor vote today are future increases in Minnesota’s gas tax that could push it from 20 cents a gallon to more than 40 cents over 10 years, higher than any state’s current bite at the pump.

“I’m not trying to fool anybody,” said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, sponsor of the measure that would increase funding for roads and transit by $1.5 billion a year once it was fully implemented in the next decade. “There’s a lot of taxes in this bill.”

It sounds like Sen. Murphy thinks that he’ll escape the voters’ wrath just by saying that he’s being honest about his disastrous tax plan. It’s apparent that he doesn’t understand that people will think that they’re getting ripped off by this monstrous tax increase.

St. Cloud voters should note that this bill is “being fast-tracked” to the final Senate vote, something that couldn’t happen if Tarryl Clark didn’t sign off on it. She must’ve had a major change of heart from when she talked with Leo & myself after the January townhall meeting. After that meeting, I asked her why the first 6 DFL bills all included tax increases. At the time, she told us that only 2 of the bills represented the views of the DFL leadership. She further said that one of the tax bills that the Senate would consider would provide property tax relief.

The bill also includes these other levies, all dedicated to roads, bridges and transit:

• Higher registration renewal fees on future new car purchases, but no increases on currently owned vehicles.
• A half-cent rise in the general sales tax in the seven-county Twin Cities area, imposed without a voter referendum, plus a $20 excise tax on new vehicle sales in the metro.
• Local-option authority for half-cent sales-tax increases in the rest of Minnesota, subject to voter approval.
• Authority for all 87 counties in the state to impose a $20-per-vehicle annual wheelage tax. Three suburban counties levied the current maximum of $5 per vehicle last year.
• Increased fees for leased vehicle registrations, license plates, titles and drivers’ licenses, plus a $20 reinstatement fee for a license suspended for theft of gasoline.

The MOB has been talking about these tax increases since late January. These aren’t newly minted tax increases. The only thing that’s new is that it appears as though they’re all rolled into one bill. Here’s the ‘laugher line’ in the article:

The bill passed the Senate Taxes Committee on a divided voice vote Thursday after the chairman, Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, tried in vain to reduce the immediate gas-tax increase to 5 cents a gallon.

“The public is more willing to accept a nickel,” he said. “A dime is never going to become law.”

Tom, I’ll clue you into something. Whether you started at a nickel or a quarter, this bill won’t become law because the people have figured it out that the gas tax bill is a tax increase on auto-pilot. Besides, there’s this pesky thing called a governor’s veto, which he’s promised on all tax hikes.

It’s safe to say that the DFL has shown its true colors. They’ve shown themselves to not have a frugal bone in their body. They’ve shown that they don’t have an ounce of fiscal restraint in their body either. They’ve shown that they aren’t “a fiscally moderate caucus.” Instead, they’ve shown that they’re a fiscally irresponsible caucus.

Frankly, they’re the worst Minnesota legislature in the state’s history. They don’t deserve to be the majority party because we can’t afford their fiscal immoderation.

Technorati: DFL, Tarryl Clark, Steve Murphy, Tom Bakk, Gas Tax, Sales Tax, Property Taxes, Tax Increases, Tim Pawlenty