Dear Neighbors,  

Here in St. Paul, we remain focused on the key priorities that will make Minnesota a more affordable place for everyone. Mainly, we are fighting to address the fraud, but we continue to stand against outlandish policies, such as increased taxes, which will put additional strain on Minnesota families, taxpayers, and small businesses.  

This comment about increasing the price of car tab fees comes after the 2023-2024 legislature created a new schedule for registration prices, which increased the cost by 36% on average. These car tab fee changes made two distinct impacts. First, the tax rate increased from 1.285% to 1.575%. Second, and potentially more deceptive, the rate of deprecation calculation slowed dramatically for registration purposes. In other words, the methodology for calculating the value of your vehicle does not correlate to the Kelley Blue Book or other market driven valuation standards. So, in simple terms, your tabs costs are higher and the costs will remain higher based on the perception of a higher than market rate valuation of your vehicle. For example, tabs that cost you $100 in 2022 jumped up to about $136 after 2023 and would skyrocket to $680 if they were quintupled. Now, while this week’s comment was mind-blowing, I want to highlight some of the teamwork that we are doing to resolve the issue.  

Senator John Jasinski introduced legislation during the 2025 session to reverse the fee increases that were put in place in 2023. Rep. Patti Anderson in the House is carrying the legislation on our side. The bill would remove the vehicle license schedule that  was passed during the 2023-2024 session and recently implemented. Effectively, this bill reduces fees back to their pre-2023 tax and depreciation rates. This is just one example of the many we are doing to make Minnesota more affordable at a time when our state is plagued with fraud and taxpayers were hit with the tax and fee increases legislated in during the 2023-2024 session. As you know, we are standing firm in both the Minnesota House and the Senate; no new taxes or fees and we must make Minnesota more affordable for Minnesotans.  

My team and I have been doing some research, and I feel better equipped to address two questions that I recently received at a Coffee with Tom meeting. 

The question was: Now that the United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization and is no longer involved in subcommittees such as the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), should Minnesota consider joining to receive important updates and information about outbreaks of the avian flu or other contagious diseases? 

For context, other states such as New York and California have essentially partnered with the GOARN subcommittee to receive relevant information about disease outbreaks and responses. 

To put it simply, I do not think it would be necessary for us to partner with this subcommittee as a state. Minnesota already has strong systems in place to monitor and respond to emerging diseases. Our state works closely with federal partners like the CDC and USDA, and we benefit from world-class research and surveillance through the University of Minnesota. State agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Health, the Board of Animal Health, and the Department of Agriculture already coordinate closely to track threats like avian influenza in livestock and wildlife. Given these existing partnerships and resources, Minnesota is well positioned to detect and respond to disease outbreaks without needing to formally join an additional international network. 

The second question was: Why do different Minnesotans pay different Wheelage Taxes? 

This is a great question. Under Statue 163.051 the legislature allows Minnesota County Commissioners to set the wheelage rate to a maximum of $20.00 for counties that charge a wheelage tax. This is not a new statue or a recent change of statue. As of January 1st, 2018, Minnesota Counties were allowed to charge up to $20.00 per year.  

Feel free to read the statute here.   

Thank you to the constituents who approached me with these question and let this serve as your invitation to join me at an upcoming Coffee with Tom meeting. The dates are listed below, and even if I cannot answer your question at the meeting, I will follow up when I have the necessary information.  

Coffee with Tom will meet in Waseca TODAY, Friday, March 13th at the Waseca Chamber of Commerce from 12:00pm-1:00pm. 

For April, Coffee with Tom will meet in Owatonna on Friday, April 10th  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce. This is a change due to Good Friday occurring on April 3rd, 2026. In addition, Owatonna Mayor Matt Jessop will be joining me on April 10th, 2026. 

Coffee with Tom in Waseca will be on Friday, April 17th  from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at the Waseca Chamber of Commerce. This is a change due to Good Friday occurring on April 3rd, 2026, as we shifted the schedule back one week. 

Please note that we will not host Coffee with Tom during the month of May due to our uncertain legislative schedule. As we move towards the end of session on May 18th, 2026, we could be in-session all seven days of the week. 

Thank you for your support and feedback, I hope to see you there!