What should lawmakers do with the projected budget surplus?

"A projected $1 billion budget surplus has many state lawmakers looking for ways to return some of that money to taxpayers. There are plenty of competing ideas for tax relief," writes Tim Pugmire for MPR News.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's already made it clear that child care tax credits are on his list.

Currently, about 38,000 families receive the credit. Dayton said he wants to lift the income eligibility to include 137,000 more families. He said the cost would be $175 million over two years.

"The state program is capped very low and phases out very quickly," Dayton said. "It really doesn't reach working middle-income, one- and two-parent families. Talk about tax reduction that benefits the middle class — that to me is probably one of the most significant things we can do."

Today's Question: What should lawmakers do with the projected budget surplus?

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