Our Case

We can afford to invest in Minnesota, in fact we can’t afford NOT to.

Minnesota is a great state and we want to keep it that way.
Minnesota still ranks high in a number of areas, and many Minnesotans are doing well. But we’re slipping. Confronted with budget deficits starting in 2002, the legislature enacted considerable cuts in funding, causing Minnesota to lose ground compared to other states.

• For the first time in decades, Minnesota’s economy is underperforming the national average. o
• Minnesota’s ranking among states in state funding for higher education dropped from 12th in FY 2001 to 35th in FY 2006.
• The number of Minnesota households spending more than half of their income on housing more than doubled from 2000 to 2006—the fastest growth in the nation in this measure.

For a closer look at Minnesota’s public investments and rankings, read The Lost Decade.

Minnesotans deserve a good return on their investment.
Minnesota’s economy outperformed the nation when its taxes were higher, and as taxes have declined, so has our economy.

To learn more, read Invest for Real Prosperity.

For more Minnesotans, tax fairness means that people pay in proportion to their incomes.
The overall package of revenue-raising must make the tax system more fair.

• An increase to the state’s income tax based on the ability to pay must be a major component of a revenue-raising package.
• Targeted tax credits for low- and moderate-income Minnesotans are an important tool in creating a fair tax system, and should be maintained and expanded.

For more information, read Revenue-Raising Options to Help Close Minnesota’s Budget Deficit.