Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the Senate on March 6, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

It's about time someon had the courage.

Lets just tax the air you breath. Or better yet, take all your money and give you what they think you need. Oh Wait, thats been tried, if I remember history class it didn't go so well. Look up the term "usefull idiot".

It is about time! Beer needs to be included in this, also. It has been nearly half a centrry since the beer tax has been raised. when it is almost as cheap to buy beer as soda somthing is wrong. It makes it more accessible for kids to drink when the price is so low.

sodas are now going for two fifty a can, and that's before the deposit. raising the prices on a vice does not eliminate it. it just leads people who participate in that vice to pay more for it. cocaine is over a hundred dollars an ounce, and it has been for thirty years. people buy cocaine daily. the europeans serve beer and wine to their children daily, and as any liberal will tell you, they have a better system of education and turn out higher achievement scores. the liberals are so enamored of the european model of society, lets take a long, hard look at THIS part of european society.

cooler is making it accessible to children. having beer in front of your children gives them a positive role model of drinking. driving after you've had a few too many gives your children the idea that it's okay to do. not being able to call a cab home from the bar because political subdivisions feel that cabs aren't a good idea is telling children that the state doesn't care about their safety, as it offers no viable alternatives to drinking and driving. there are places that, for the price of a round of drinks, you can be assured that a safe and sober driver will deliver you to your door, but michigan isn't one of those places.

This is proposed as a revenue producer. It doesn't have anything to do with Liberal philosophy. Get a life, will ya. I'm against it this idea. Liquor and beer already are heavily taxed. Michigan should consider boosting its state income tax rate instead.

on this thread, too. Always Trolling ...

try to LOWER it's income tax rate? that would lead to more SPENDING, which will invigorate the economy, and to more investment, which will lead to more money being available to be spent. you can't buy a car to support michigan's one and only industry if the only one who has any money is the state. cut state spending. cut state taxes. not EVERY program the state is involved in is mandatory to the continued survival of the state. it's not an easy decision, but cuts should be made BEFORE taxes are raised. if i can live on a budget, and live WITHIN my budget, so can they.

have been made and are being made -- look at the condition of our roads, the effectiveness and quality of policing, expenditures on environmental conserrvation and protection, all of which improve the living and business climate in this or any other state. Those cuts sure haven't done anything to improve the state's economy. Business and industry continue to flee Michigan, and it's not just because they are overtaxed or are particularly threatened with being overtaxed. Consumption taxes are regressive. Alcoholic beverages already are taxed heavily. That's why this proposal is no good. Michigan's income tax rate is extremely modest. It could easily stand an increase with no harm to the economy or the population at large.

roads properly does not mean that there has been a cut in maintenance expenses, it just means that lots of tax money has been mis-spent. there IS a difference. don't assume that because your roads have pot-holes, that the state is saving money.

regressive. look at the i.r.s. and tell me if you think income taxation is the way to go. michigan needs to limit government to the essential services that government is supposed to provide, not each and every service on the planet. businesses are leaving because they are taxed and regulated to death. to expect businesses to pay all of the bills that a legislature can come up with is unrealistic and unfair. it's time that the legislature started spending within it's means. providing the maximum of services at a minimum of cost to the taxpayers, not the other way around. we need to look at every department and ask ourselves, "is it the job of government to do this particular task or pass this particular law?" is it really the job of government to tell you when to drink? is it really the job of government to tell you whether or not you have to be tolerant? is it really the job of government to tell you how to raise your children? government has taken on these 'extra' responsibilities because there are those who DON'T exercise them, and there are OTHERS who feel that those that DON'T exercise these responsibilities MUST BE MADE to exercise them. government needs to stop taking directions from busybodies. only meddle in personal and business affairs when absolutely necessary.

Tax, tax, and tax some more. Tax us before we all skip out of Michigan's back door! Why don't we tax every legislator an extra 25% on their income whenever THEY dream up another tax increase? David Littmann - we need you!!! Help!!

What would we do without them? I don't drink beer, I hate the taste of it, but I am sure not going to dictate whether someone can drink it or not. Next, these do-gooders will start crucifying Christ because he changed water into wine at a wedding at the request, "heaven forbid" of his mother. Why don't we start taxing these social engineers for their hatred of individual freedom and choice?

It all started with the smoke nazi's. Next it will be booze. They are already doing the trans fat schuffle, what will be next? Stay tuned, they will be after something you like soon. I think that I want them to ban everything that I don't like and we'll start with control freak libs/socialists.

Congratulations to the legislators that are finally going to increase the tax on liquor. Beer also contains alcohol and needs to be taxed accordingly. The cost to society for the use of this toxic substance needs to be recompensated. Alcohol, including beer, is a toxic substance and has caused great harm and society has incurred increased expense for all of us. Just think of the Super Bowl in Detroit as one prime example. Every law enforcement agency in the state had to go to Detroit to patrol the streets to keep the peace for a small group of football fans and their drinking friends were encouraged to drink to excess and then allowed to drive home. If alcohol were introduced today in the form of beer or liquor it would not be approved by the FDA. Alcohol is a depressant drug and it is not needed. It is harmful to our youth and its legal use and abuse costs society billions and billions of dollars each year. Millions of lives have been wasted. Kids and families are hurting. If you will not make it illegal than taxing the sale to cover the costs to society makes most sense. Reducing the allowed promotion of this unhealthy substance also makes great sense. Alcohol is a drug and needs to be taxed and regulated for the public good.

why is it YOUR job to be arbiter of THE PUBLIC GOOD? are your senses and sensibilities so much more acute than the ordinary citizen that you are forced to step up and lead the poor sots by the hand to salvation? are the depths of your own pockets so deep as to allow you to presume to tell all of the rest of society how to spend it's money? you may not drink or smoke. why must you insist on taxing those that do? isn't the idea of a tax that is for the PUBLIC GOOD supposed to be borne by ALL THE PUBLIC? this government taxes to punish. that is not the purpose of taxation. such taxation leads to rebellion. such taxation leads to the election of representatives who will SPEND LESS, AND TAX LESS and MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS. it's not YOUR concern if anyone else BUT YOU drinks or smokes. if a smoker smokes and gets cancer, that is the responsibility that he assumed when he lit the first one, and every one after that. if a smoker gets cancer, and you feel compelled to offer him assistance, by all means, do so, but NOT with public money. if a drinker gets into an wreck, and he takes a life, that is the responsibility that the drinker assumed when he took the drink. if a drinker gets into an accident, and you feel compelled to offer him assistance, by all means do so, but NOT with public money. if the families of those who were killed wish to sue, let them sue the drinker. if you feel compelled to offer tham assistance, by all means do so, but NOT with public money.

is a BAD tax increase. taxation for social change is wrong. those that rejoice in 'special sector taxation' are the same people who rejoice in ALL taxation. they see it as being allowed to spend more of our money on their pet programs. our state will never be able to TAX itself into prosperity. that will not stop the liberals from TRYING. the one thing that they REFUSE TO TRY is cutting spending on their pet programs. did you ever notice that the FIRST cuts were to law enforcement and fire protection, not social programs?

how many times have we heard that a tax was going to pay for something for 'the public good', when it actually ended up paying for a 'limited sector benefit'? any tax that pays for a 'limited sector benefit' is theft. any legislator who taxes the people to pay for 'limited sector benefits' is a thief. the government shouldn't be in the business of offering 'limited sector benefits'. that condones the theft of tax money from all the people that doesn't go to benefit ALL THE PEOPLE. taking from the "rich" and giving it to the "poor" may make you a hero in the eyes of the poor, but to everyone else, you are still a "robbing hood". the poor are the poor, and as the other poster put it, if you feel obligated to offer them assistance, by all means do so, but NOT with public money.

A LIFE, You just forgot or never knew how to have fun and it gets your panties all bunched up to see folks enjoying themselves.

Jealousy is one one the seven deadly

Get the dead beats off of welfare if you really want to save Michigan any money! You can tax and tax and tax all you want, all your going to do is really tick off Michigan workers! And those who are just surviving struggle more due to the idiots in lansing that don't see the real picture. It's not our fault Michigan is in debt, we pay our taxes you all just mismanage!!!

Don't tax it. If it's that bad, just ban it. See how that works out...idiot!

I just gave myself a tax reduction. I took a job out of state....forever. Taxes never benefit those that are taxed. I don't care what "public good" they proclaim. All taxes are "public bad" period.

That is just the part THEY DON'T GET. Lowering taxes increases the bar for everyone.

If taxes are sooooo important and everyone will benefit, why not just take ALL of my paycheck? Pretty simple, take it all and then we dont have to worry about anymore tax increases!

the life of the party. Maybe if you had a beer now and then you wouldn't be such an angry little twit. A couple drinks a day are good for you. The super bowl came and went, accident rates didn't go up, crime didn't go up, nothing bad happened and alot of folks had alot of fun. Seems to me that your life must be pretty pitiful, lighten up and enjoy life, you ain't gonna live forever and we really don't need you to be the evil stepmother to the good folks trying to make it here in michiganistan.

You posted: “You Must Be the life of the party. Maybe if you had a beer now and then you wouldn't be such an angry little twit.” Wow! You sound like a barrel of fun yourself. Maybe it’s time for y’all to lighten up. (I think SB 339 is a bad idea and object to it, by the way.)