Posted on Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 5:55 p.m.
Municipal and school officials want guarantee of funds if Michigan cuts more business taxes
By Paula Gardner
Gov. Rick Snyder said he'll explore this fall whether Michigan can cut $1.2 billion in personal property taxes paid by businesses.
That move has the attention of local governments and schools, which now say they want a guarantee that the money that comes to them from that revenue doesn't evaporate, according to a report on MLive.com.
According to the story by Peter Luke: "Local officials want a constitutional amendment that would identify the replacement revenue and earmark it for cities and schools. The bigger question is that after this year’s $1.4 billion shift in tax liability from businesses to individuals, will taxpayers agree to finance still more business tax cuts through an amendment that would require voter approval?"
Comments
snapshot
Sat, Sep 10, 2011 : 12:27 p.m.
OK, the "pot of gold" that local officials have been dipping into is empty. Job losses, housing losses, stock market crashes, depleted savings, and severe reductions in services has affected every "average" citizen across the country in their reduced quality of life and sense of financial security, but "local" officials still fail to recognize, or participate in the crisis. This "demand" by local officials for replacement funds is reflective of such weak leadership it is pathetic. Wanting to amend the constitution so they don't have to make any further belt tightning decisions that might reduce their "standard of living" is insulting. I still see government vehicles in private drives, car allowances are being paid to employees that only drive to and from the office and seldom on the job, subsidized and priority parking, cadillac health care plans, fat pension plans funded on the backs of property owner's ever increasing tax rates, and these "officials" still have their heads in the sand trying to avoid reality. It's time they recognize that they are contributing to the problem and the economy will never recover without a recovery strategy. The average citizen has "no disposable income" while they want no reductions to their "ample" disposable income levels. Let's start seperating "wants from needs" in government. do we need rental home inspectors, sidewalk inspectors, all the paid boards and commisions that make the decision making process so lengthy and cumbersome and overly expensive to private enterprise? I say "local" government is eating to much, is overweight, and needs to go on a diet.
JSA
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 4:27 p.m.
Everybody should have a fantasy. They should not hold their breath
RayA2
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 4:01 p.m.
Slick is a thief with a 4 year get out of jail free card. He'll continue to steal from our public schools and our fire and police protection, our roads, and anything else not immediately putting profits into his wealthy constituency's pockets, until he is recalled. He has become so bold that he doesn't even try to lie to us anymore about why he's doing it. Slick can not get out of Michigan fast enough for the working citizens of this great state. It looks like with his newly established sleazy, anonymous slush funds, Slick is now counting on all of his wealthy friends to pay for an even larger advertising blitzkrieg to keep himself in office next time. I sure hope that now that Slick's real agenda is clear, the people of this state will not be fooled twice by him.
Monica R-W
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 6:07 a.m.
The answer to this question is HECK NO!
jrigglem
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 1:28 a.m.
Is this the typical story of giving to the rich all the while taking from the poor?
Ed Kimball
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.
Yup.
DonBee
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 11:19 p.m.
I don't know that I like the current tax, but I also know I don't want to see deeper cuts in basic services. I would think that now that the new business tax is in place and simple to use, that trading the harder to calculate and easier to "fudge" personal property tax for a slightly higher business income tax would make sense. That would keep with the goal of making the state easier to do business with and also keep the revenue levels stable. A roughly 25 percent increase in the new business income tax rate would cover the repeal of this tax. That would also reduce the cost to file taxes with the state and the cost of auditing the state related taxes. Both good things in my mind.
Floyd
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 11:07 p.m.
Let's slash public services again and give it all to the "job creators"! They'll need plenty of hired help in the form of maids, butlers, drivers and landscapers.
RayA2
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
Exactly. GW and Dick proved time and time again that the more money you throw at "job creators", the more jobs are created. Why we have their tax cuts, and the current republicon congress's extention of them, to thank for the high paying jobs we're awash in right now. Sure there's a few whining, lazy, stupid people who are avoiding work for the glamour of it, but there really are plenty of corporate boards just looking for those type of people. There's also no real need for anyone to be employed as the money continues to just trickle down everywhere you look. So Slick you go ahead and slash away at vital spending so you can keep throwing money at your "job creating" friends.
sh1
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 11:28 a.m.
Thanks for my first smile of the day.
Mike
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 10:43 p.m.
How about asking the school officials to guarantee that more jobs will be created by taxing businesses more? Without jbs revenues will continue to decline. Doing things the same way over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity.
Sparty
Fri, Sep 9, 2011 : 3:27 a.m.
Nobody is talking about taxing businesses more (unfortunately). Snyder wants to cut their taxes again, forcing schools and cities to absorb more cuts, and individuals to pay more. You do realize most jobs require an educated workforce???
say it plain
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 10:49 p.m.
Right, and when we cut the taxes of the alleged "job-creating" classes, somehow, despite our doing it again and again til they now pay less than they had in decades and decades, the jobs don't materialize! It's the definition of insanity to buy that trickle-down story!
Mr. Ed
Thu, Sep 8, 2011 : 9:49 p.m.
Enough already.