Budget fight erupts at Legislature as health care provider tax is set to expire

Republicans call it the “sick tax.” Gov. Tim Walz says that without it, many more people will get sick.

Minnesota’s 2% tax on most medical services, which has been around for decades, is headed for extinction at the end of this year, ending a $700 million a year revenue stream that the new DFL governor wants to cover health care for low-income patients, children and people with disabilities.

http://www.startribune.com/budget-fight-erupts-as-health-care-provider-tax-is-set-to-expire/509270622/