Dear Neighbors, As we reach the mid-point of the 2014 MN legislative session, I wanted to provide you with an update. Minnesota unfortunately still has a gender gap among its entrepreneurs. On average, women entrepreneurs in Minnesota in 2014 are making .80 for every $1.00 their male counterparts make. This is simply not acceptable.  I authored legislation that funds a pilot program to provide support for women entrepreneurs as they work to start or expand businesses in high revenue- generating areas such as IT and finance.  My bill is part of the Women’s Economic Security Act, which passed in the House, and will assist women in accessing and keeping good paying careers. Women make up a large number of low wage earners in MN, which influenced my vote for the tiered, compromise minimum wage bill that came forward.  This legislation provides for a youth and training wage at $7.75, and over the next several years rolls in wage increases until we reach $7.75 for small businesses and $9.50 for large businesses.  There is a capped (2.5%) index for inflation, but this is reviewed annually by the MN Commissioner of Labor and Industry to ensure that economic conditions support indexing for the coming year. Minnesota has a budget surplus for the first time in nearly a decade. I have heard from many of you that we need to grow our MN budget reserves, and we are adding $150 million dollars to that fund, with an additional $31 million dedicated to budget stability.We also have enacted tax cuts for more than one million Minnesotans while repealing business-to-business taxes, and are also making critical investments for our seniors and our school children. My bill to ensure all children in our schools receive a healthy lunch no matter their parents’ ability to pay passed unanimously in the House.  I appreciate the positive feedback I’ve received on this.As session continues, please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. Your input helps me to better represent our community at the Capitol.  I look forward to hearing from you.As always, thank you for the honor of representing you in St. Paul. Best, Yvonne Selcer MN State Representative HD48A 523 State Office Building Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155 651-296-396

HD48A · House District 48A · Minnesota budget surplus · Minnesota income inequality · Minnesota minimum wage · Minnesota tax cuts · Rep. Selcer · Yvonne Selcer

On the evening of April 8, 2014, Rep. Selcer stepped forward and defended the bill for our students during the 9-hour debate:

anti-bullying · HD48A · House District 48A · Rep. Selcer · Safe Schools Act · Senate District 48 · Yvonne Selcer

Dear Neighbors,

The Capitol is a busy place this week.  There will be many hours of floor session debating a number of bills, including a supplemental budget and a second tax bill with increased property tax relief for Minnesotans.

As I mentioned last week in my update, I wanted to share more details with you about the tax cut bill that was signed into law on March 21^st.  I’ve also attached the Department of Revenue guide for understanding the tax cuts that were put in place and posted some important information for folks who haven’t yet filed their tax return for this year.

Tax Cuts for more than 1 million Minnesotans

The House worked quickly to pass tax cuts this session.  We were able to vote on a final bill that cut $508 million in taxes and send it to Governor Dayton on March 21^st for his signature.  There are many Minnesotans who will see immediate tax savings, and many more who will see increased tax savings in 2014 and beyond.  Below, I’ve listed major impacts of the bill:

Estate Tax and Gift Tax

I was the chief author of legislation to bring federal conformity to our estate/gift tax, which included eliminating the gift tax, and am happy to report that the estate tax has been simplified by aligning it with the federal tax code, raising the cap on exempted inheritance from $1 million to $2 million.  Minnesota’s gift tax has also been completely repealed.  This sends the message that we want people to stay in MN and keep their assets here.

Tax Cuts for Minnesota Businesses ($167 million)

The business-to-business (B2B) sales taxes repeal bills, several of which I was the co-author on, also passed.  Small businesses will see greater investment from this tax bill with the extension and expansion of the Angel Investment Tax Credit and simpler tax preparation with federal conformity.

• Warehouse and Storage Services: The warehouse sales tax is eliminated before it was supposed to begin on April 1, 2014.
• Commercial Equipment Repair: The sales taxes on repair and maintenance of electronic and commercial equipment are eliminated.
• Telecommunications Equipment Tax: The sales tax on telecommunications equipment is eliminated.

Tax Cuts for Working Families

More than one million middle class Minnesotans will see $230 million in tax cuts due to federal conformity and by boosting the State’s working family credit:

• Tax Cuts for Married Couples: More than 650,000 middle-class married families will see $111 million in tax cuts with the elimination of the “marriage penalty.” An average married taxpayer earning less than $75,000 will see a $115 tax cut (this tax cut begins next year).
• Tax Cuts for Families: 330,000 moderate-income working families will see $66 million in tax cuts. The average family earning less than $49,000 will see a $146 tax cut (a portion of this tax cut begins next year).
• Tax Cuts for Day Care: More than 26,000 families who qualify for child care tax credits to pay for childcare will see an average increase in their tax credit of $74 per year (this tax cut begins next year).
• Tax Cut for New Homeowners: 80,000 new homeowners paying down mortgage interest will see an average tax cut of $60.
• Tax Cuts for Students: 125,000 taxpayers paying down student loans will see a $50 tax cut on average. In addition, 30,000 college students and families paying college expenses will see a $125 tax cut on average.
• Tax relief for families that adopt: $400,000 in tax cuts for families that received employer-provided adoption assistance.
• Tax Cuts for Small Employers: Small businesses will be able to offer their employees tax-free tuition and adoption assistance. The tax bill also simplifies small business taxes by eliminating requirements to maintain separate records for federal taxes.

Stable Budget into the Future

While this bill contains a net $443 million tax cut, it also balances those tax cuts with a boost to our state’s rainy day fund by $150 million, keeping our budget stable into the future.

It was a great privilege last week to hear legislation to honor these brave women veterans!

Important Tax Filing Information

Because this tax relief package was passed before April 15^th, the Minnesota Department of Revenue is working hard to make these tax cuts available to Minnesotans who have not yet filed their 2013 tax returns.  The Department of Revenue will update all of their internal and online systems by April 3, 2014.  They will also be working closely with online vendors who process returns to make sure that their software is updated to correctly process returns for potentially increased tax refunds.

If you have not yet filed your 2013 taxes, you should wait until after April 3, 2014 to do so.

• The Department of Revenue will have their online systems updated by then to account for tax refund changes.
• You can keep updated with changes at the Department of Revenue’s website by clicking on the orange button at the bottom of their home page:

 

If you have already filed your 2013 taxes, you don’t need to do anything right now.

• The Department of Revenue will be mailing refunds as usual and then reviewing returns that they received before the changes went into effect.
• They will be doing this review after the April 15^th tax deadline and then sending out any refund increase by whatever means you elected to receive your refund.

• If you are eligible for an increased refund, the Department of Revenue will be able to make the necessary changes to your return with the tax documents you provided.  If they are unable to do so, they will individually contact you by postal mail to request necessary documents to amend your return.
• The Department of Revenue will also be communicating all tax refund changes and updates to CPA’s and tax preparers around the state.

Enjoyed a great neighborhood gathering with terrific food at the new Glen Lake Cafe, right on Excelsior Boulevard!

If you have questions or concerns about this process or any tax changes please contact me at or 

Best,

Yvonne Selcer

State Representative

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