Minn. Lawmakers Hope Property Tax Help Will Stick

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota lawmakers went out of their way to put a dent in property taxes by heaping hundreds of millions of new dollars into state allowances to schools and local governments. They also bolstered programs that supply direct-to-homeowner tax credits.

The Democrats who crafted the new tax law signed last week did what they used to rail against: They temporarily imposed limits on how much cities and counties can raise through local levies and restricted schools from seeking more money through tax referenda, too.

The new law puts $120 million more into a property tax refund program for homeowners. It makes 116,000 more people eligible and entitles about 315,000 existing recipients to larger checks.

The average refund is projected to climb from $830 to more than $1,000.

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