Stadium Politics Cloud Minneapolis Convention Business

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“It would be the equivalent of the state punching itself in the face” says Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about a proposal from House Tax Chair Greg Davids (R – Preston) to cut off the city’s local sales tax option after 2020.

Mayor Rybak says the state makes $60 million a year from the tax.

Chair Davids says his bill and the Vikings are “totally separate”.

That brought laughter from Representative Ann Lencewski (DFL-Bloomington) who said to outside observers like herself, it appeared Representative Davids was using the threat to cut off the Minneapolis tax revenue to “call out” Minneapolis city council members who have been slow to support a Vikings stadium plan.

Mayor Rybak admits that the stadium issue, along with the city owning the aging Target center clouds the issue of sales taxes, but he’s willing to have a larger conversation about them all.