Testimony Urging Senate Tax Committee to Expand Child Tax Credit

Chair Rest and members of the committee. My name is Ryan Hamilton, I represent the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

I would like to offer our general concerns about the bill, and provide three recommendations to Articles 1 and 5 that we believe will make this bill better for Minnesota families.

Families do the irreplaceable work of raising the next generation of Minnesota’s builders, caregivers, teachers, and artists. Everyone seems to acknowledge the impact inflation, the rising costs of living, and financial uncertainty that is burdening families despite their hard work.

The Governor opened the Session by issuing a bold commitment to make Minnesota the best state in the country to raise a family. It is encouraging that many legislators have stepped up to help achieve that goal. Unfortunately, the tax committee target didn’t match the pro-family rhetoric.

I want to be clear that MCC is grateful that a CTC was included in this Senate tax bill. You didn’t have to do that, but you did.  We understand the difficult decisions that you had to make. We appreciate your intent to make children and families the primary beneficiary of those difficult decisions. We understand how targets work and, Unfortunately, too many parents are still being left without any mechanism for ongoing economic relief, for example a middle income family with two children that doesn’t pay for outside dependent child care.

A stable workforce, vibrant communities, and a sustainable tax base are all biproducts of economically secure families.

In other words….

None of the money that makes up these targets would exist without the irreplaceable contribution being made by Minnesota Families.

The state has a duty to reciprocate to families, all families. Budgets are moral documents and Minnesota Families deserve the best budget that the state can muster.

Here how to make this good Senate position even better-

“WHEN YOU MARK UP THE BILL PLEASE DELETE the maximum credit Limitations found in ARTICLE 1 Section 35. Subd. 3.

WHEN YOU MARK UP THE BILL PLEASE DELETE please delete the credit sunset found in Article 1 Section 35 Subd. 7.

WHEN YOU MARK UP THE BILL Please Add Senator Colemans (SF2182) the baby-goods sales tax exemption to SALES AND USE TAXES provisions in ARTICLE 5. This is low hanging, pro-family fruit for the state that could save new mothers and fathers hundreds of dollars in taxes when buy necessities for their newborn children.