Rethinking the Research Tax Credit

A recent report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) sheds new light on Minnesota’s research tax credit, also known as the research and development, or R&D, credit. This credit allows businesses that conduct qualifying research in Minnesota to reduce...

Conservative Tax Claims Don’t Square With Reality

Minnesota Illustrated, a new report from the conservative Tax Foundation and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, makes some startling claims regarding taxes in Minnesota. Parts one and two of this series examined some of the Tax Foundation and Chamber claims regarding...

Per Capita General Fund Revenue Less Than a Decade Ago

The enactment of significant tax increases during the 2013 legislative session, combined with state budget surpluses, has created the impression that Minnesota general fund revenue has grown considerably. This perception is accurate if we measure state revenues today...

Fiscal Disparity Program Reduces Business Tax Disparities

The seven-county metropolitan tax base sharing program has successfully reduced property tax disparities within the metro region, as revealed by analysis presented in the previous article in this series. By taxing a significant portion of the business value in the...

Metro Tax Base Sharing Reduces Disparities

The metropolitan tax base sharing program—more commonly referred to as the fiscal disparity program—was designed to meet various tax policy goals, as noted in part one of this series. The success of the program in meeting some these goals—such as fostering “more...

Metro Tax Base Sharing: Net Contributors, Recipients

From the time we are toddlers, we are told that sharing is good. However, it is often not easy—and it can be complicated. A case in point is the metropolitan tax base sharing program, known more commonly as the fiscal disparity program.* For over four decades, the...