Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on March 21, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

I would bash Dems, but you just know a few Repubs will vote for this if it comes up. Gongwer News, 3/22/07: "Earlier in the day, Rep George Cushingberry (D-Detroit), chair of the House Appropriations Committee and sponsor of the governor's 2 percent sales tax on service plan in the chamber, said the legislation was dead. However, he did say his bill increasing the sales tax from 3.9 percent to 4.6 percent, or implementing an increase in the sales tax for certain services such as greens fees, was still in play in the House. But Liz Boyd, Ms. Granholm's spokesperson, said that the eventual solution for the budget would involve revenues and structural reforms."

"Recent Mackinac Center research shows that the average Michigan state employee receives a salary and benefits package worth nearly $75,000. The comparable figure for private sector workers is approximately $58,000. " . . . Michigan maintains government and public school establishments whose costs not only far exceed the private sector, but even the public sectors of other states. Given this, the main effect of the massive tax increase Gov. Granholm, Treasurer Kleine and their allies support would be to further insulate a privileged class of government workers from the impact of economic changes that have affected every other resident of the state." from "Reality Check," http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=8358

I have a better, fairer idea. Have private businesses deposit all paychecks into the State coffers and let Lansing deposit the workers fair share into their bank accounts. Or even better, we can all live in collectives and work for the greater glory of Michigan.

Yes.. those 'hard working' Public Servants of ours have had a huge increase in the cost of their (taxpayer paid) benefits and need more money from us.

Are all you in the legislation gone NUTS don't you see what is happening in Michigan??????? your driving all the business out of the state and expecting all of the citizen make up the difference.(WHY DON"T YOU CUT ALL OF YOUR EXPENCES)

I propose that we tax Liberalism. That would be the best of both worlds. That way the people who feel "Big Government" need more taxes will be able to pay all the taxs and the rest of those who believe in "Small Government" would get it. I bet a lot of so called Liberals would become conservative real fast.

Welcome to Democrateland! It's like Disneyland with all the cartoons but none of the fun.

death of freedom and tax increases. Other than immediately shooting every tenth citizen, I can't think of a more stupid law. It would be better to completely abolish the DNR, DEQ, and public schooling in Michigan rather than raise taxes on individuals.

I think it is a great idea except I think it should be 25%. Our bloated legislature has become accustomed to the really good life while redistributing our money. It would very inconsiderate of us to not fund there extravagance.The sales tax should also be 10% and apply to everything, food, medicine, services, why not! If we do this it would placate the legislature and governor for at least a month!

I guess this is the part where we are "Blown Away"!

a tax the Dems didn't like? No? I thought not. I thank God I'll soon be leaving MI (along with thou's of others) for a more tax friendly state. Which one, you ask? ANY ONE!

Sure, let the Single Business Tax revenue go by the wayside and slam the individuals some more. How bout a progressive scale increase for higher wages? Say, anybody making more than 50 k yearly starting on line 16 of the Mi 1040. 50-70k yearly can bear a .25% increase. 70-100k can take a .50 % increase. 100 -200 can take a 1% 200 and up can take a 2% hit That oughta solve some problems. But you put more money in the pocket of Small Business Owners and most did NOT pass any of that along to workers. So your solution is to spread the payment around and make those who did not benefit from that tax elimination bear part of the responsibility of covering the tax deficit it helped create? Someone please propose State legislators have their pay cut and lifetime health benefits taken away.

Michigan’s Constitution forbids a graduated income tax: Article IX, Section 7: “No income tax graduated as to rate or base shall be imposed by the state or any of its subdivisions.”

to the state of michigan. the state constitution says the the police shall have a warrant before searching, they don't. the state constitution says the legislature shall not raise taxes above a certain level. they are. the state constitution says that we can keep and bear arms. we can't.

When none of us have anything left, we will all have to become Democrats to ensure we get government handouts to survive. Is this part of a conspiracy to put an end to the Reublican party?

You have to be kidding! this is just what we do not need.Of course most of you people in Detroit do not have a job ,so this is not a tax hike for most of your district!!!

I think raising the income tax is the best solution to our budget deficit. If you are working you have money to pay a tax. Which is not true about a service tax or property tax.

or consolidating purchasing for schools. It is estimated that if we have a central purchasing function for all Michigan schools, we could save $180,000,000.00!!!!!! Why don't we see bills with solutions like that?

nuts? Lets take this a little farther..If you punish the workers enough they will either become slackers and stay home, drink 40's, play x-box and live off the government teat or they will leave the state. Which would you prefer? How long do the dems/socialists believe you can run this pyramid scheme.

The income tax rate used to be higher and we had enough money to fund needed state services. Then we cut the income tax, and lo and behold, there is no longer enough money. Hmm. OK by me to put the tax rate back up. I would rather have a straightforward simple percentage increase in income tax than a tangle of new sales taxes and fees. That's just a way of trying to hide the truth. Services cost money. Those who want to cut the budget, please tell me what you plan on me giving up...education for my kids? police? (And do NOT pick on state employees or suggest that we move away from paying living wage salaries. Michigan is not going to be the kind of place people want to live by becoming run down and cheap.)

run down, but it's NOT CHEAP. i'm sure we can do without gun registration, and all the manpower and paperwork it consumes. i'm sure we can do without a full time legislature, and all the manpower and paperwork it consumes. i'm sure we can do without SEVERAL redundant areas of state government, and all the manpower and paperwork THEY consume. i'm sure we can do without some of the freedom robbing, liberty reducing, people demeaning laws on the books, and all the manpower and paperwork THEY consume.

"Those who want to cut the budget, please tell me what you plan on me giving up...education for my kids? police?" All Of The Above.

either jennie get's it all, or she gives you nothing. SHE is the one who HAS ALREADY CUT POLICE. SHE is the one who is PLANNING ON CLOSING PRISONS. no talk of cuts in other "MORE IMPORTANT DEPARTMENTS"...

An increase in the income tax, with a corresponding increase in the personal exemption, is a better solution than anything else I've heard proposed. It will not hurt the poor and elderly the way all of the other "new fees" do. The income tax is deductable; the fees are not.

Cut taxes across the board and this state will thrive. The tax revenue will go up in a short time. The federal IRS just set a new record for taxes taken in because of G.W.'s tax cuts. You probably won't hear this on the mai8nstream news. Wake Up Sheeple

Why not throw a 1 or 2 on the sales tax and have it refundable to citizens under a certain agreed level. I have a hard time believing tourist would make a different desicion based on a penny or two per dollar.

"Then we cut the income tax, and lo and behold, there is no longer enough money." Only feces-encrusted swine would begin drooling at the prospect of hiring armed agents of the state stealing from neighbors to feed an unbreakable addiction to government dole. No wonder people and businesses are fleeing the state. I *can't wait* till the public education mafia swallows its last trainload of purloined cash, realizes the trough has gone dry for good, and implodes. After the dust and stink clears out, maybe your crotch nuggets will find a decent (private) school in which to learn something besides collectivism, government dependency, and buttseks. Oh yeah, and state employees are expensive oxygen-sponges with an entitlement complex.

Dear Michigan, We agree, great idea. Please raise your taxes ever higher, to some healthy confiscatory double-digit figure. You can use that new infusion of loot to implant another large array of swollen teats on the government sow. That will encourage hard-working individuals, successful firms, innovative entrepreneurs, and other such ne'er-do-wells to take their selfish carcasses out of your wonderful communist experiment up there in Michigan, and encourage a fresh new crop of freeloaders to move in and clamp on. Peace and Justice at last. All Hail the State! Sincerely, The Other States

"Cut taxes across the board and this state will thrive. The tax revenue will go up in a short time." Very true, and it works every time it's tried. Even works when democrats like JFK try it. The downside is that the government definitely gets more revenue, and that's bad, like giving crack to a coke-head or barrels of lard to Rosie O'Donnell. Liberty is inversely proportional to tax revenue.

Then next year we can send more people to Hawaii on the yearly boondogle. Heck, let's raise it to 10% and send all the government employees. Someday the working folk are going to wake up, quit working and go for the government trough. At this point the whole shebang will collapse because you libs/socialists/dems will have brough everyone down to the lowest common denominator.

No guts! It should be raised to at least 10%, and a dollar on a gallon of gas! Sales tax should also be increased to 10% and be on everything. Hey lets take the cap off property tax too! Oh the boys and girls in Lansing are really having fun know and we taxpayers should not hinder them in their quest for more and more!

State legislators have their pay cut and lifetime health benefits taken away.

We NEED to nail down this tax thing before you start thinking about saving money. If we get all the taxes we want and THEN cut spending we will have all the dough we want to blow on whatever we want. Sincerely, the Micigan Democratic Spenders

of when the voters voted down the casinos in Detroit a couple times.

Well lets see. If you have a 6.8% unemployment and you raise the rate on everyone else I guess that means you are punishing the people who are still lucky enough to have jobs. Next year as more people leave the state you could raise the rate again. If you keep doing it, no one will be left and it won't matter what the rate is. Mr. Cushingberry when are you going to realize that the pork barrel is not just empty, but it is getting smaller every day. When do you people stop? When the population of Michigan drops from 10 million to 8 million or 6 million? Our loss is their gain. The other States should be sending you thank you letters for all of their newly acquired talent. Now, why don't you try a plan that will keep people here and attract more people.

The cash addicted folks in lansingistan have created a bunch of new vote buying programs since then. This statement shows that you are part of the government educated problem. "The income tax rate used to be higher and we had enough money to fund needed state services. Then we cut the income tax, and lo and behold, there is no longer enough money. Hmm. OK by me to put the tax rate back up" From now on you are not allowed to vote... Here's Your Sign

"How bout a progressive scale increase for higher wages? Say, anybody making more than 50 k yearly starting on line 16 of the Mi 1040. 50-70k yearly can bear a .25% increase. 70-100k can take a .50 % increase. 100 -200 can take a 1% 200 and up can take a 2% hit" And mental midgets like you get to decide how much of a "hit" all the working people can take? How about anyone in the $0 - $50,000 paying %5 more. They use almost all of the "services". If you ever learned any history you would know that all you are doing is promoting socialism. I really don't expect you to understand since the government schools will never teach you that more government is a bad thing. You useful idiots always want to punish the most productive citizens, the ones that create all the jobs, pay most of the taxes already, are least likely to commit crime or use any of the so called "services" this socialist state provides. It's like you guys are chomping at the communist bit to kill the golden goose. Keep listening to the excrement that the dems/socialists kep telling you, stay dependant on handouts and see where it gets you. Poverty is a behavioral disorder. The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing the things that make them rich. Ditto for the poor. Boortz "The more we do to you, the less you seem to believe we are doing it."---Joseph Mengele “Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, 'What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power.' But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.”----Ronald Reagan Taxes are not levied for the benefit of the taxed. --Robert A. Heinlein There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him. --Robert A. Heinlein

Socialism takes all incentive away from workers. This is why it will never work. If, for example, a man can make $100 per week being a doctor, or $100 per week sitting in his government-subsidized house smoking hashish and playing Nintendo, chances are he’ll opt out of the torturous years of medical school. by J.D. Cassidy

You say the rich do not pay enough taxes. In 1979 the top one percent of earners paid 19.75 percent of income taxes. Today they pay 36.3 percent. How much is enough? You say the federal government is not spending enough on education. President Bush has increased education spending 48 percent. How much is enough?" --George Will