A new poll from the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce shows that 67% of Minnesotans feel that state taxes are too high. Additionally, almost half of those surveyed (47%) said their personal finances have gotten worse in the past year.
Conducted by Pantheon Insights in late March and early April, the poll surveyed 1,000 adults in Minnesota and was weighted for age, gender, geography, and education.
The Chamber of Commerce did not release full crosstabs for the poll. Instead, the group put out a polling memo, press release, and several accompanying graphics. The polling memo from Pantheon Insights notes that the survey has a 3.1% margin of error.
According to the poll, 67% of respondents said state taxes are “too high” while 31% said those taxes are “about right.” The remaining 2% said Minnesota’s taxes are “too low.”
The poll asked respondents if Minnesota provides good value services for the amount paid in taxes when compared with years past. In total, 51% said Minnesota provides “worse value,” 33% said “about the same value,” and 9% said “better value.”
Asked about the state of Minnesota’s economy, 35% of those surveyed described the economy as “fair,” and another 30% said the economy is “poor.” Meanwhile, 31% said Minnesota’s economy is “good,” and 4% said it was “excellent.”
The Chamber of Commerce poll also asked respondents about issues facing Minnesota. According to Pantheon Insights, 33% of respondents said “the managing or misuse of state finances” was the most important issue facing the state.
When asked to choose the three most important economic priorities facing Minnesota, 51% of those surveyed selected affordability, 44% chose taxes, and 33% said government spending. Education, wages, housing and other topics were below 25%.
Describing how their personal or family finances have changed in the past year, 47% of respondents said those finances have gotten “worse.” Meanwhile, 42% of those polled said their finances stayed the same, and 11% said their finances were “better.”
“Our state is becoming less affordable, and people are feeling it,” Minnesota Chamber of Commerce CEO Doug Loon said in a press release. “Minnesotans feel like they are paying more and getting less, and that’s something that lawmakers can’t ignore.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
