Michigan is on a financial collision course.
Barreling into the crossroads from one direction is the Michigan Legislature, where conservative leadership has spent this year pushing hard for budget and income tax cuts. As GOP House Speaker Tom Leonard put it: “We want to put our hard-working taxpayers first.”
Barreling in from the opposite direction are three-dozen outside advisors to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, including many from the business community. They call for at least $6 billion a year in new government spending. Their reasoning: That’s the responsible price tag to fix Michigan’s laggard public school system and repair aging roads, bridges, and water infrastructure.
This tug of war between cutting taxes and spending and even more public investment is Michigan’s defining question now, and well into the future. To navigate it, here are 11 things every Michigan taxpayer should know:
11 things every Michigan taxpayer should know
Comparatively, Michigan’s tax burden is low – and getting lower.
Look around: YOUR taxes could be much higher.
Michigan gives more tax breaks than it collects for schools/gov’t.
The definition of “Anti-tax conservative” has changed
Why might taxes seem high to YOU?
The motivation for a state income tax cut.
What might YOU get out of an income tax cut?
Snyder is a Republican. Why his experts want to spend more.
Can we cut taxes and spend more on education/infrastructure?
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