St. Cloud Times Online - Taxes

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An overview

Check out this database:
Stearns County Tax Rolls

Why Taxes Vary

Sales taxes
Minnesotans pay a 6.5 percent sales tax on everything except for the purchase of groceries and clothes. You also may run into additional sales taxes as local governments impose their own levies to pay for special projects. For example, to help pay for the St. Cloud Civic Center, the City of St. Cloud tacks an additional 5 percent tax on motel and hotel bills and an additional 1 percent tax on restaurant bills. Also, vehicles that are rented for less than 29 days in the state carry an additional sales tax of 6.2 percent.

State income tax
Minnesota has a progressive state income tax system; that is, the state taxes those who earn more at a higher rate. The tax rates range from about 6 percent for the lowest incomes to about 8.5 percent for the highest incomes. State income taxes make up the largest slice of state revenue - 28 percent.

Property taxes
A homeowner's property tax bill in Minnesota combines levies from municipal, county and school districts. In addition, special taxing districts -- such as a transit commission or housing authority -- can levy additional taxes.

Each December, property owners get a statement of proposed taxes for the coming year from each governmental unit. The statement lists the tax amount, increase or decrease and a meeting date and time to speak out about the tax bill.

Property taxes can be paid directly to the county twice a year, but most homeowners have their mortgage companies make the payments. Money for the payments is included in the monthly house payment and held in escrow until the tax bill is due.

The impact of Minnesota's taxes on a household varies by income. The Minnesota Department of Revenue recently reported that tax rates as a percent of income ranged from a low of 11.8 percent for a household with income between $10,000 and $15,000 to a high of 13.2 percent for households with incomes between $25,000 and $32,000.

For households with incomes between $32,000 and $71,000 taxes averaged 13 percent. Households with incomes of more than $71,000 paid 12.6 percent in combined state and local taxes.

Tax Glossary

Levy - The imposition of a tax, usually by a local unit of government.
Local tax rate - The tax rate usually expressed as a percentage of tax capacity, used to determine the property tax due on a property.
Market value - An assessor's estimate of what property would be worth if it were sold.
Property tax refund - A partial property tax refund program for those who have property taxes out of proportion with their income. The program is available to homeowners and renters.
Tax capacity - The valuation of property based on market value and class rates, on which property taxes are determined.

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