Sen. Michele Bachmann (R-Stillwater) and Rep. Ray Vandeveer (R-Forest Lake) have introduced legislation that would repeal the Health Impact Fee approved by the Legislature last year as part of a deal agreed upon by legislative leaders to end the special session. ìUnfortunately the passage of this new fee or tax, whichever one likes to call it, was totally unnecessary to invest in the priority areas we identified last year, such as education and public safety,î Bachmann said. ìAs revealed in the most recent revenue forecast released by the Minnesota Department of Finance, economic growth has been strong in Minnesota and state revenues have risen accordingly. Government can and should be able to live within reasonable means..î Vandeveer believes it significantly reframed legislative negotiations on taxes and spending at the time, opening the door to DFL demands for even greater tax increases. ìThe facts are very clear.î he said. ìAs new budget figures demonstrate, raising taxes was not necessary last year and is not necessary now.î

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