LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Republicans in the House and Senate raise concerns about HB 4001 pertaining to income tax and retirement benefits and a Senate substitute which would prioritize corporations over Michigan families according to party members.
House Minority Leader Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) opposes the Democrat and Governor’s new tax policy, which he called a “secret tax hike.”
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“The public outcry from Michiganders across the state has blown up Gov. Whitmer’s attempt to bankroll corporations by raising taxes on people and small businesses. Now, she appears to be going back to the drawing board for several days to plot a new way to sneak through her secret tax hike. Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike should be united in opposing the governor’s plan to push around the Legislature and force a tax hike on the people of Michigan,” Hall said, “When I chaired the House Tax Policy Committee, I would have strongly opposed any governor trying to shut me out of the process, but Democrat committee chairs have shrugged as she cut them out. Gov. Whitmer is moving a shell bill behind closed doors to keep pushing her shady shell games while advancing another secret spending bill. The people’s representatives — of both parties — must unite against the governor’s attempt to block the people’s tax relief just to benefit large corporations.”
Representative Sarah Lightner (R-Springport), Minority Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, also criticized the new tax plan.
“Michigan families have been begging for relief from historic inflation rates, and now that relief is finally on the horizon the governor is actively working to strip it away,” Lightner said. “State government is sitting on billions of dollars in surplus revenue while the people of Michigan pinch pennies every time they walk into the grocery store,” Lightner said in a statement, “Instead of delivering on the tax cut that Michigan taxpayers were promised, Gov. Whitmer is secretly shifting money around to set more money aside for large corporations. It’s absolutely ridiculous to give huge corporations a handout instead of giving back to individual taxpayers.”
Instead, the plan would likely prevent the tax cut according to Lightner, as it would retroactively divert revenues from the general fund into the Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR) fund- used for corporate projects – rather than provide an income tax cut which is expected to take place after a 2015 law that would automatically reduce the state income tax for Michiganders when the general fund revenues are significantly higher than the rate of inflation.
“The governor promised to deliver relief to Michigan families, seniors, and working people,” Lightner said in a statement, “Now she’s backpedaling on that promise so she can give away their hard-earned dollars to corporate welfare projects that benefit a select few.”
The senate added a substitute on Feb. 1 on which the House voted no to the amended bill which resulted in a conference committee. Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township) also protested its passing in the senate.
“I rise today once again disappointed. I am disappointed because providing tax relief to all inflation weary Michiganders—families, seniors—seemed like something we could all work together on in a bipartisan fashion, Democrats and Republicans can come together and figure out a solution on this,” Nesbitt said during discussion of the bill, “It’s what we all said we were going to do. Unfortunately, Governor Whitmer has different plans, and the Legislature seems to be following those plans, reminding us yet again that her partisan actions always speak louder than her words on bipartisanship.”
The Speaker appointed as conferees on the part of the House of Representatives for House BIll No. 4001, Reps. Samantha Steckloff (D-Farmington Hills), Cynthia Neeley (D-Flint), and Greg VanWoerkom (R-Norton Shores).
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