MICHIGAN IS TAXED ENOUGHT by Carol Brown

[Tim Lintz]

March 31, 2015

 

Michigan is Taxed Enough Already

The television advertisements make it sound like Michigan Ballot Prop 1 is Michigan’s last chance to fix our roads. It uses dishonest language to deceive us into thinking the gas tax will be eliminated. It does not say it will be replaced with a higher wholesale tax that Concerned Taxpayers of Michigan estimate will raise gas prices by about 10 cents a gallon, raise state sales tax to 7%, raise vehicle registration taxes and increase our federal tax liability ($100 million/year to Uncle Sam, not Michigan roads).  Michigan residents already pay among the highest state income, sales and gas taxes in the nation.

This proposal passes ten laws and a constitutional amendment including tax credits for low-income wage earners, affirmative action rules in certain state transportation contracting, funding for reading programs, $102 million in new federal income tax liabilities for vehicle registration and much more not reported on the ballot to voters. The cost would be about $800 every year for an average family of four.

We can fix our roads & fund our schools without raising taxes. The state House passed a plan last December that would have increased public school funding $2.5 billion over the next eight years and added about $1 billion in road funding each year – with no net tax increase.  The state Senate & Governor voted against it.

 There are 2 bills introduced by Rep. Todd Courser (R-Lapeer) and Rep. Gary Glen (R-Midland) that re-introduce the Bolger Plan that the House passed last year. Let’s work together and give these plans another look.

Your vote is necessary to defeat this proposal. We need to show our representatives that we are not so easily fooled by what they think are cleverly disguised laws within a law. Your vote is needed & important. Vote May 5^th.

Carol L. Brown