Senate Taxes Committee passes HCMC funding, social media tax
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS • • nation
Key Points:
- The Minnesota Senate Taxes Committee advanced a tax bill aimed at funding Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) by shifting a 0.15% sales tax, originally for the Twins ballpark, to a new 0.25% health care tax benefiting HCMC and North Memorial Medical Center.
- The health care tax revenue will primarily support uncompensated care at North Memorial, while HCMC will have flexibility to use funds for various needs, including physical upgrades and upkeep.
- The bill also proposes a social media tax on the 14 largest platforms operating in Minnesota, charging between 10 and 50 cents per user, with the tax levied on companies rather than individual users.
- Republican Senator Bill Weber expressed skepticism about the social media tax, arguing that businesses typically pass tax costs onto consumers, and indicated he plans to vote against the bill despite recognizing HCMC's regional importance.
- Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate and can pass the bill without Republican votes there, but at least one Republican vote will be needed in the evenly split Minnesota House for any tax increase to pass.
