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*June 23, 2023*






Dear Friends,

I hope your summer is off to a great start! It is so wonderful to be able to spend more time in the district now that we are out of session. We are so blessed to live in such a vibrant community! 

I wanted to share a couple updates, including information on some transportation-related tax increases that are set to take effect as early as July 1.

Remember: despite a $17.5 billion surplus, the Democrat trifecta chose to raise taxes by nearly $10 billion instead of returning the surplus to Minnesota's families. I fought for family budgets all session long, but unfortunately these taxes are going to impact every Minnesotan.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer and hope to see you at either the Hamel Rodeo Days Parade (July 9th) or the Maple Grove Days Parade (July 13th) – or both! ??

*I also want to give a special shout-out to my wonderful parents, who are celebrating their 61st** **Anniversary today!* I am beyond blessed to have such supportive parents who are also an inspiring example of love and faith!






Executive Summary

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Transportation Tax Increases

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Standing Up for Small Businesses

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Bill Strengthening Domestic Violence Sentencing Becomes Law






Transportation Tax Increases

The Transportation Omnibus Bill contained a whopping $3.8 billion in tax increases! Here are some of the new transportation-related expenses you can expect to face:

*_Vehicle Registration Tax/Tabs:_* 

This tax hike averages to be a 36% increase over the first 11 years of your new vehicle. The change will apply to taxes payable for a registration period starting on or after January 1, 2024.

*_Filing Fee increases:_* 

Filing fees will increase to $8 on every vehicle registration renewal, excluding pro rate transactions. This section is effective October 1, 2023.

*_50 Cent Delivery Fee on retail deliveries over $100_*:

Over $189 million over four years is expected to be leveled on residents who shop from home thanks to this tax. The fee will be implemented on deliveries over $100. Exemptions include deliveries for groceries, prepared food, baby products, and feminine hygiene products. The tax would begin on July 1, 2024, and is the largest delivery tax in the U.S.

*Businesses who have reached out to me are unsure how they will implement this tax and families are uncertain when it will be charged.* If you order groceries but also have a taxable item in the mix, does the whole order get taxed? Do you have to make one order for taxable items and one for non-taxable items to avoid the tax?  Businesses currently don’t have the capacity to decide if each individual item is subject to the delivery fee and we expect a lot of confusion for businesses and customers as this is rolled out.

*Despite advocates insistence that this tax will reduce deliveries, greenhouse gases, and wear and tear on roads, it will likely INCREASE the number of smaller orders placed as consumers try to avoid the fee.* Instead of one large order from a retailer that includes groceries and cleaning products and beauty products, consumers are now likely to place two or three orders under $100 to avoid the fee. 

*_$6 Fee Increase for Driver licenses:_* 

This is effective July 1, 2023, and applies to applications made on or after that date.

*_Gas Tax Automatic Increases for Inflation_*:

*The expected gas tax hike beginning January 1, 2024 is 5 cents/gallon over four years.* Drivers will pay an additional $423 million over four years, which will hurt family budgets.

*_Metro Area Sales Tax Increase_*:

This 0.75% increase in the 7-county Metro Sales Tax will be used to fund increased spending on transportation projects. *The bulk of the money, 83%, will go toward Metro Transit funding, and it is widely expected that much of this money will be used to pay for the enormous cost overruns on SW Light Rail project. *These funds cannot be used on Southwest Light Rail for at least a year, however, until a new Commission has finished developing a plan to change how the Met Council operates. 

The remaining 17% will be sent to Metro Counties for local road projects. *This section is effective for all sales and purchases made on or after October 1, 2023, and applies in the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington.*

*An additional .25% increase in the Metro Sales tax will go to pay for rental housing programs in the same counties.** *This combined 1% increase in the Metro Sales Tax will make everyday purchases more expensive for families throughout the Metro.

*_Increase in Motor Vehicle Sales Tax from 6.5% to 6.875%:_* 

Will give Minnesota the 5th highest Vehicle sales tax rate in the U.S. This section is effective for sales and purchases *made on or after July 1, 2023.*

*If you are thinking about buying a new or used car, do it before July 1st** **to avoid the new sales tax increase.* It is incredibly frustrating to see Minnesotans saddled with these tax increases to fund a 38% increase in the state budget when we had a historic surplus. Government needs to be good stewards of your tax dollars, not waste them on unsustainable spending.






Standing Up for Small Businesses

Last session I earned a 100% voting record with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce during the 2023 legislative session due to my constant advocacy for policies that support, not hamper, small businesses and job creation. 

Small businesses and their employees are the backbone of our communities and drive economic growth across our state. I am proud to support small businesses and workers at the Capitol and am grateful for this recognition from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Standing up for our Main Street businesses is more important than ever after the Democrat trifecta passed billions in new taxes and mandates that will make it even more difficult to hire workers and attract the investment needed to create jobs in our state. Unless we have policies that generate economic growth, Minnesotans cannot move up the economic ladder and the state cannot fund the programs that truly are our responsibility.

To learn more about the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 legislative voting record, you can view the full scorecard here [ [link removed] ].






Bill Strengthening Domestic Violence Sentencing Becomes Law

My bill to add more prior criminal convictions that qualify for a sentence enhancement for domestic abuse offenders was signed into law last month by Governor Tim Walz. I am so grateful to Detective Katie Damm and the Maple Grove Police Department’s Domestic Violence Response Team for bringing this issue to my attention and for their tireless advocacy at the Capitol to get it done!

Offenders of certain domestic violence crimes currently qualify for a sentence enhancement if they have a criminal record for other crimes, such as first- or second- degree murder, assault, criminal sexual conduct, or violation of an order for protection, domestic abuse no contact order, or harassment restraining order. 

The new law will add additional qualifying crimes to the statue, including third degree murder, certain cases of first- and second-degree manslaughter that are related to domestic violence, kidnapping, and false imprisonment. The new additions to the qualified domestic violence-related offenses *will take effect August 1, 2023.*

Victims of domestic violence deserve justice. Those who commit domestic violence crimes who have a history of committing violent acts against others ought to receive the maximum penalties under the law. I am thankful that my work with Maple Grove Police will enhance sentencing for those who commit these heinous acts.






Photos

Robbins at Juneteenth Event

Fun Juneteenth event at the Town Green in Maple Grove this week! Great music, food and vendors!






Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me while we are out of session is by email: [email protected]. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked multiple times/week.

Have a great weekend!

 

Kristin











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239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806







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