Minnesota Dem Gov Candidate Rebecca Otto Once Again Claims Carbon Tax Is “Not a Tax”

Minnesota DFL gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Otto has latched on to the Bernie Sanders agenda, backing a regressive tax on carbon and a massive government takeover of healthcare. But Otto continues to willingly mislead voters, once again claiming that her plan to pass a carbon tax is somehow “not a tax.”

In January, Otto first claimed that her carbon tax is not a tax, tweeting, “Probably want to reread the plan. Not a tax.”

And now, at a DFL candidate’s forum in Rochester, Otto once again remarked that her energy tax plan is “not a tax.”

OTTO: “But there’s a twist in that we’re going to put a price on carbon. All that revenue is going to go to Minnesotans — it’s not a tax — in the form of quarterly dividend checks.”

Is Otto telling the truth? Both the media and Otto’s liberal allies correctly note that Otto’s plan represents a tax on hardworking families. CBS Minnesota describes Otto’s plan as “a tax on carbon emissions.” They note that Otto’s plan could raise the cost of a gallon of gas by 20 cents, raise the cost of natural gas by 40%, and raise electricity costs by 5%.

The left-wing Carbon Tax Center describes Otto’s plan as being “centered on a carbon charge that would begin at $40 per metric ton of CO2 and increase by 10% each year.” They call it as a “state-level carbon tax.”

Otto’s claim that her carbon tax is not a tax proves that she will say or do anything to try and mislead Minnesota voters.