Rep. Fogelman Co-Authors “Take It Back Act”

Bill would force fraudsters to pay 100% fraud tax

ST. PAUL – In an effort to recoup some of the money stolen in fraud, State Representative Marj Fogelman (R-Fulda) is co-authoring legislation that would force criminals to pay a 100% fraud tax on the amount they stole from Minnesota’s taxpayers.

“As if the $9 billion in estimated state fraud wasn’t bad enough, a recent media investigation found that since 2018, Minnesota has spent $20 billion on Medicaid programs labeled at high risk for fraud,” Fogelman said. “Enough is enough. If these people can find a way to rip us off, they can find a way to pay us back.”

Fogelman said the 100% tax would apply to any person or organization convicted of fraud or who receives compensation in exchange for participating in fraudulent activity. The tax applies to convicted fraudsters in addition to the court-ordered restitution that they are already required to pay.

Fogelman noted the tax collected would then be put into a tax relief account, where it could only be used for income or property tax relief.

Fogelman is optimistic about its passage. The bill currently has 35 authors in the House, and roughly a third of its authors are Democrats.

“The public is rightfully demanding accountability for fraud, and this would hold convicted fraudsters accountable,” Fogelman concluded.