Tell Lawmakers Stop Taxing Our Hard-earned Benefits

Now, with so many Minnesotans struggling to afford health care and other basic needs, the promise of Social Security is even more important. Yet, Minnesota remains an outlier, with only 12 states still taxing these benefits. As your constituent, I urge you to eliminate the state taxation of Social Security which is a cut to the vital benefits Minnesotans earned after a lifetime of hard work.

The fact remains that more retirees are being taxed on these benefits. While the thresholds for taxing these benefits have been adjusted, Minnesota only allows a subtraction rather than a full exemption. This means many middle-income retirees are continuing to pay taxes on their benefits. Moreover, taxing Social Security benefits undermines the purpose of Social Security, which was designed to lift seniors out of poverty – not to necessarily fund state government.

Exempting Social Security income from taxation would allow Minnesota’s retirees to use more of their hard-earned benefits to pay for essentials like prescription medications, food, and utility bills. It would help keep an important economic engine - older Minnesotans – in our state. Older Minnesotans support 57 percent of consumer spending in our state, generating an economic impact of $154.2 billion for Minnesota’s economy.

Given the historic budget surplus, concerns around the impact of the cost of total elimination should be less of concern. And while higher income retirees will benefit too from the tax relief, it is only relief on the benefits they earned over a lifetime.

I urge you to vote for the elimination of this tax and thank you for your consideration.