Dayton pitches farmers a tax break

Gov. Mark Dayton will tell Farmfest visitors on Thursday that he opposes a new tax on equipment repairs.

Minnesota's sales tax now applies to business-related equipment repairs. Farmers have complained loudly about the tax, and Dayton said he wants to see it repealed during the 2014 session, calling it bad policy.

"It was not good legislating, and we'll correct it as soon as feasible," he said.

The governor also said this week that he also supports a Republican-backed effort to repeal a new tax on warehousing services. But he said he doesn't want either issue coming up during a potential one-day special session to approve storm-damage relief.

"If we open that door in the special session, we're going to be wide open for every other subject, many of which are entirely legitimate. But we'll have another full fledged session if we go that route," Dayton said.

The governor wants a special session sometime after Labor Day, but only if legislative leaders agree in advance on the agenda.

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