Joanne Dorsher, the DFL endorsed candidate for the special election in House District 14A, has stated her support for Gov. Dayton's sales tax increase proposal that would hit middle class families and "the rich" alike. This ad by the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, which starts airing in St. Cloud tomorrow, highlights the fact that she's stated her support for Gov. Dayton's tax increases.
That's only part of the story, though. Here's a big hint: prepare yourself for some intellectual gymnastics. Ben Golnik, the chairman of the Minnesota Jobs Coalition, highlighted Dorsher's intellectual flexibility with this statement:
When Asked About Dayton Budget, Dorsher Says “I Do Support The Widening Of The Sales Tax. Dorsher: “I do support, like I said, the progressive income tax, I support lowering business taxes, and I support the widening of the sales tax, and I’m sure I missed a whole bunch of other taxes that I should be talking about. Oh, the internet tax! As much as I hate to pay that, because I enjoy buying off the internet, it’s the only fair thing to do. Our businesses need to be on even ground with that.”
(St. Cloud Times editorial board screening, YouTube.com, Jan. 29, 2013)
Feb. 5: Dorsher Now Claims She Doesn’t Support Expanding The Sales Tax. “But Dorsher says she isn’t yet prepared to support Dayton’s proposed overhaul of the sales tax, which would extend the sales tax to an array of new services and to certain clothing purchases while lowering the tax rate. Dorsher says she wants to further study the impact of a part of the governor’s plan that has drawn fire from business groups, which would extend the sales tax to business-to-business services.”
That's topnotch intellectual gymnastics on Ms. Dorsher's part. She stated repeatedly that she supported broadening the sales tax. Broadening the sales tax requires taxing things that aren't currently subjected to the sales tax.
It's interesting, too, that Ms. Dorsher said she supports "a more progressive tax system" in Minnesota. It'd be interesting to hear how Ms. Dorsher explains how she supported (supports?) the sales tax changes while advocating for a more progressive tax system in Minnesota.
The reality is that Ms. Dorsher is tapdancing on this issue. She's supported every tax increase that's been proposed since she started running for partisan office. She's the protege of "Taxin' Tarryl Clark", which means she's never met a tax increase she didn't like.
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