⏮️ Last week: How do you want your taxes cut? We started with the assumption that the next state budget would use some of the $4 billion state surplus on tax relief—but there are many ways to offer it. We provided options related to income taxes, sales taxes, and tax breaks.
There was virtually no support for the ol’ trickle down theory of providing the bulk of relief to higher income brackets. One response did say there should be little or no tax relief (even from the state) while the federal government has so much debt.
And while the rest of your answers were scattered evenly among the other options, there were also several responses along the lines of wanting little to no tax relief because there are so many unmet needs that are more important: child care, infrastructure, free school meals, the rainy day fund, closing corporate tax loopholes, and offsetting cuts from Trump and Musk—”the hatchet boys,” as Jeannie up in Port Wing describes them. Thanks for all of your input.
⏭️ This Week: We’re still on a state budget kick since you do such a good job of putting yourselves in a state legislators’ shoes. So let’s talk about toll roads. To be clear, nobody’s proposing them right now. Heck, even mentioning them used to be considered on-par with swearing. But with less gas tax revenue thanks to cleaner, greener EVs, everyone’s looking at ways to reform how we, as the governor puts it, “fix the damn roads.” While we’d be paying more to support construction and maintenance, so would all those trucks and tourists. So what about tolls?
A) It’s time. Lots of other states get money from outside traffic.
B) Only if there’s an iron-clad rule that the only toll booths are at the borders.
C) I’m skeptical but willing to hear more.
D) Never. All roads are a public good.
To answer this week’s question, hit reply or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com, and we may share it in a future newsletter or on UpNorthNews Radio.
