Posted on 03/01/2013 5:04:09 AM PST by rhema
Editor's note: Reacting to a proposed tax affecting Minnesota "snowbirds," U.S. Rep. Trey Radel, a Fort Myers, Fla., Republican, sent this letter to Gov. Mark Dayton. It was published recently in the Naples Daily News.
Dear Gov. Mark Dayton,
I'm writing today to thank you. As a Floridian, I am overjoyed to hear about your plan to raise taxes on Minnesotans, most especially the so-called "snowbirds."
Your proposal gives us a chance to shine here in the Sunshine State. We love to share southwest Florida with snowbirds from all over the country. We are proud to host or be home to entrepreneurs who invest in our economy and philanthropists who invest in our community.
It's my sincere hope your plan has just driven many Minnesotans to become year-round residents of our great state, which offers the following: No income tax; great public, charter and private schools; and excellent opportunities and incentives for investment, for both big and small business.
You make America great, governor. You show that in this blessed country of ours, each and every state is its own experiment in economic freedom and government overreach. You are illustrating why many of the states throughout our republic, which are keeping taxes low and spending money efficiently, have attracted manufacturing, financial institutions, as well other large and small business owners.
From what I understand, your plan will tax the income of individuals who spend at least 60 days in Minnesota, even if they are full-time residents of another state, like Florida. According to the state Revenue Department, this tax is expected to raise $30 million -- a drop in the bucket compared with the $37.9 billion of your proposed budget.
If Minnesotans want to get a heavy-handed, overtaxing government out of their pocket, I invite them to pack their bags and relocate right here where white sand beaches, cool blue water and low taxes await.
While here, I'd like to make a few other suggestions of what people can do: catch a Minnesota Twins or Boston Red Sox spring training game in Fort Myers; take a walk on Sanibel beach; buy a large and extremely affordable home in Cape Coral; enjoy the beaches, nightlife and shopping in Naples; head to Marco Island, with beautiful beaches (did I mention those?) and quick access to one of the world's most pristine and fascinating environments, the Everglades.
Again, governor, I thank you for your policy. It draws the contrast of what is happening not only in United States today, but the world. Your message makes the message of patriotic, liberty loving Americans shine: All we ask is for local, state and federal governments to spend our money efficiently and wisely. We want economic taxing decisions to be made based on what is fair and reasonable, not based on anger or emotion.
Economic freedom coupled with a limited, efficient government has made this country strong for generations and provided more opportunity than any place on Earth for more than 200 years. In Florida, we hope to carry on that tradition, and in southwest Florida, we look forward to seeing many more Minnesotans in the near future.
Sincerely,
Rep. Trey Radel
Underneath Florida is pretty much nothing but soft limestone. I’ve been diving in several of the natural springs here in Florida. It looks like swiss cheese and the rock crumbles in your hand. Of course what I was diving in was basically a giant sinkhole which went down about 120 feet beneath the surface.
What I couldn’t figure out is how the deer got down there to leave footprints in the rock.
If you want a clean, well governed and generally conservative town, consider Naples.
Bingo!
Actually in Seffner, near MLK Blvd.
Naples is exactly where we will be looking. I’ll keep the place in Broward as a rental.
We spend most of the year in S. America so anyplace we buy will be for part time living.
Thanks.
Yeah, right, bring Minnesotans to Florida en masse. They’ll join the northeast liberal snowbirds importing their misguided voting habits and ruin that state as they’ve ruined their own!
We don't need more of those people in Florida...
Generally speaking, midwestern yankees move to Texas and Northeastern yankees move to Florida. There is a major difference between the two. Those from Iowa and downstate Illinois can be very likable. OTOH, stay away from the Polish Americans from Chicago.
Card-check them ba$tard$ at the border!
Here in MN. Gov. Dayton and the local rats are going tax crazy.
Just the other day a bill was introduced to raise nearly all liquor taxes 300%.
Then this morning There was a mention that there could be a new tax on sweets to help pay for the new Vikings stadium.
There has also been talk about an increase in tobacco taxes.
It never ceases to amaze me how they think we are just made of money.
gotta love my sunshine state
sarasota is nice too!!!
You made a wise choice. There are lots of Conservatives in NW Florida.
Minnesota under Dayton will soon be joining California and New York as the highest taxed states in the country and will predictably see an exodus of businesses and higher income citizens to other states. Average Minnesotans will also be making buying trips to neighboring lower tax states for everything from liquor to medical care. I expect Sioux Falls, SD, a scant 10 miles from the Minnesota border, will see a boom as Minnesotans flock to our malls and businesses rather than go to Minneapolis.
Minnesota risks isolation as tax capital of the Midwest
. . . A 2011 Ernst & Young report found that 95 percent of Minnesota employers are organized as pass-through companies, usually Sub-S corporations, LLCs, partnerships or sole proprietorships, and other small operations that pay their taxes as individual filers. The same study found that 56 percent of all employees in the state work for those small businesses. The governor has suggested that only the elite would pay more under his plan. But that isn't true. His plan would raise taxes on likely thousands of the most successful small employers who provide a lot of jobs, and the result will be fewer jobs and less investment in Minnesota.
Millions of Americans are evacuating high-tax states in favor of places that seem to want them more. According to the Tax Foundation, for example, which analyzes data from the IRS and the Census, Minnesota suffered a net loss of 36,000 income tax filers between 2000 and 2010. Those income taxpayers took with them $3.5 billion in adjusted gross income, money that is now circulating in other states.
The biggest winner has been Florida, which doesn't tax income. In the last decade, according to the foundation, Minnesota's net loss of income taxpayers to the Sunshine State was more than 9,000. Our neighbors left with $1.6 billion in adjusted gross income that they're now spending, saving and investing in Florida. Does the governor believe that the outbound migration won't accelerate under his plan, which also includes the punitive snowbird penalty? On what basis does he believe that?
There has been an exodus already out of MN, but the politicians are denying and outright lying about it. They continue to say that the state of MN has not lost anyone due to the economy or taxes.
I laugh at that and can prove they are liars. Hubby & I left a little over a year ago as we saw the handwriting on the wall
Moved to the great state of Wyoming and while I will say Minnesota has great beauty, so does Wyoming.
We are classified as one of those "higher income" citizens, plus we own a small business, but I know they refuse to acknowledge that we left because of the oppressive taxes.
We never minded paying our "fair share", but the welfare zombies are taking over the state -- fair share now means, give us 99% of what you have and we will let you keep the 1% (ok, slight exaggeration, but then again, maybe not in a year or so).
Check out post 35. You’re part of those documented statistics.
A lot of those Midwesterners and a whole lot of Canadians come here to Arizona, instead. What's great is that liberal Californians and New Yorkers don't even seem to know Arizona exists, other than lightly-read stories in the New York Times about Joe Arpaio Tasering hordes of illegals before breakfast every day. :)
Yes, I read it --- thanks for sharing.
We moved in 2011, so we just missed that set of statistics (thru 2010). I would be eager to read what happened in 2011, 2012 and especially 2013 now that gov chicken-SH** and his over-inflated ego wants to sent everyone else packing.
I remember shortly after we moved out, the good (ha) gov was saying no one was leaving because of the economy or taxes. I'm sure he will never admit that he put a foot in our backs and kicked us out.
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