Gov. Dayton and DFL leaders present plan to create jobs in Minnesota

Alongside DFL House and Senate leaders, Governor Mark Dayton introduced a plan today to improve the state's economy and help the 175,000 unemployed Minnesotans find work by giving incentives to businesses who hire them.

The Star Tribune lays out some of the main points of the proposal:

• A $3,000 tax credit for each unemployed Minnesota worker, veteran or recent college graduate hired for a full-time job in 2011 and a $1,500-per-hire tax credit for new hires in the first six months of 2012. The $35 million initiative could fund up to 10,000 new job, the DFL estimates.

• A proposed $775 million bonding bill for new infrastructure projects. It would include $20 million for projects requested by the Department of Employment and Economic Development to help businesses expand in Minnesota.

• $10 million for the Minnesota Investment Fund to attract new businesses to Minnesota. Last year, the DFL claims, the fund helped attract $46 million in private investment and 218 new jobs.

• Internet Sales Tax. Right now, critics say, Minnesota’s brick-and-mortar stores like Best Buy are acting like storefronts for Internet retailers like Amazon.com. Customers come in, browse the merchandise, and then order online. Taxing internet sales – something retailers like Amazon have fought tooth and nail in other states – could raise an estimated $3.5 million in 2013, by DFL estimates.

The article also mentions how the plan may meet opposition among state Republicans, which would just be a continuation of the GOP's failure to support initiatives that would create jobs and improve the state's economy. As DFL Chair Ken Martin stated on Twitter today, "GOP promised to focus on jobs and lowering taxes, yet have not created any jobs and in fact raised property taxes on every Minnesotan."

Click here to read more about the plan from the Office of the Governor.