Republicans in the Minnesota Senate have ratcheted-up their call for completely eliminating state income tax on Social Security benefits, regardless of income. Rochester Senator Carla Nelson calls the current system “double taxation.” “Minnesotans bought those benefits year after year, paycheck after paycheck,” she says. Dilworth Representative Paul Marquart says under House Democrats’ plan “if your income is less than 75 thousand dollars, you won’t pay a dime in Social Security benefit taxes.”
But Democrats say well-to-do Minnesotans can more than afford to pay state income tax on their Social Security benefits, so there’s more money for schools and other important investments.