Letter: Bohlsen understands problems

Small business owners in the five-county metro area have been treated to a new, time- and resource-wasting, highly complex tax. The tax is the .25 percent transit improvement sales tax.

Sounds like a great idea, right? Wrong. The problem is that even if you agree with the need for the tax, the unseen costs of collecting this tax is extremely high for the amount of revenue actually collected because of the complexity of this add-on sales tax.

For my manufacturing business, it will cost hundreds of dollars to collect required data and file the return, while for the year we probably only owe the state between $10 and $12.

This is an example of the kinds of administrative nightmares that add burdens to companies and drives businesses out of Washington County and Minnesota.

Time spent on filing these taxes will waste productivity, making it more difficult to compete in this global, competitive economy.

Company controllers are frustrated with the bureaucracy behind this sales tax and are forced to divert valuable time and manpower away from productive business activities.

I spoke with our DFL state senator, who responded with concern, but offered little insight into the practical matters of collecting this tax. She referred more agency help.

Other business owners have shared their frustration with me about these problems with the tax collection, which means that the “quick fix” government approach of raising taxes isn’t the simple solution it’s sold to be by politicians.

Less legislation, less government interference and lower taxes allows for more research and development, job growth and business productivity in our communities.

Elected officials need to consider the private sector’s role in handling tax filings/collecting, recognizing that business practices and logistics suffer when government forces complex processes and added regulation onto companies.

Lee Bohlsen understands these complaints and problems. She promotes free market values, lower taxes and smaller government. Her approach offers incentive to keep local businesses productive, not more regulation and senseless bureaucracy.

Dan Christiansen

Woodbury

Tags: opinion, christiansen, bohlsen, woodbury, tax