Taxes Archives - Almena Township GOP

HB 5048 – Allow local governments to impose and collect an excise tax on hotels

admin — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 22:57:35 +0000

This bill amends the current act allowing counties to levy taxes on hotels. While this may provide a short term gain for local governments to pick the pockets of a business sector, in the end, it only adds additional costs of doing business, driving up prices, and reducing tourism and travel.

Nesbitt voted no.

Wendzel voted yes.

Bill Details

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HB 5096 – Expand renaissance zones (corporate/special interest welfare)

admin — Tue, 31 Oct 2023 21:21:47 +0000

House Bill 5096 would amend the Michigan Renaissance Zone Act to allow the board of directors of the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) to designate all remaining Renewable Energy, Forest Product Processing, and Border Crossing Facility renaissance zones and to approve
extensions for other MSF-designated zones.

Generally speaking, renaissance zones are tax-free zones designed for businesses in specific geographic areas or for specific kinds of facilities or industries anywhere in the state. Under the act, the State Administrative Board designates certain areas in Michigan as Renewable Energy and Forest Product Processing renaissance zones upon the recommendation of the MSF’s board of directors, and the MSF can designate 25 additional areas as Border Crossing zones. As of 2020, there were six Renewable Energy,1 eight Forest Product Processing, and all 25 Border Crossing Facility renaissance zones available for designation.

“Renaissance zones” are special interest areas that politicians set up to allow special interest entities and developers to develop the land at taxpayer expense, while normal people are subjected to the normal oppressive tax and regulatory system. If the legislature was actually seeking to improve the economic outlook of the state, and particularly the poor, the would reduce taxes and regulations on all citizens equally to allow everyone to flourish.

Rep. Wendzel voted no.

B ill Details

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HB 4437: 2024 Budget Omnibus Bill

admin — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 22:29:48 +0000

This is the annual omnibus spending bill which covers everything except education. It was a spending free-for-all this year with 65% of the $1.3 billion dollars spent being pork projects (earmarks). Most of those pork projects are being proposed last minute. Omnibus spending bills are used by legislators to hide their wasteful projects. Rather than up or down votes on given projects which require an open vote, the legislature waits until the last minute and dumps all of the spending into a single omnibus bill. It normally passes without anyone having read it. Both parties are guilty of gaming the system like this for their personal pork with no accountability.

Governor Whitmer cited revenue projections in her budget proposal expecting a $2.5 billion surplus. However, revenue projections are rarely correct. And the actual money coming into government coffers this year has sharply declined. And given the state of businesses in Michigan, it is only going to get worse.

Citizen’s Research Council article on this year’s pork.

Sen. Nesbitt voted no. But in a secret vote, he voted for immediate effect to help the Democrats spend their pork faster.

Wendzel voted no.

Bill passed and signed by governor.

B ill Details

Signed into law July 31, 2023: PA 119 of 2023

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SB 289 – Economic development: amending brownfield development law.

admin — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 23:38:12 +0000

This increases the amount of tax incentives and reimbursements for developers. And it allows unused housing to be declared as brownfield. This is a corporate welfare providing tax benefits to land developers. And more often than not, it is a means for developers to create higher end housing or commercial property at a discount, rather than the affordable housing as portrayed by its sponsors. And it is all at taxpayers’ expense.

Sen. Nesbitt voted no.

Wendzel voted yes.

Bill passed and signed by governor.

B ill Details

Signed by governor on July 18, 2023: PA 89 of 2023

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SB 129 – Expand brownfield taxpayer subsidy deal to include subsidized housing.

admin — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 22:23:17 +0000

The bill would add subsidized housing to the list of uses for redevelopment of brownfield projects. This provides developers with a tax subsidy to rebuild in these areas. Apart from the issues on whether housing should be directed towards brownfield properties, brownfield projects directed towards housing provide nice profits for developers and owners, but fail to provide the promised benefits for the constituents the politicians serve.

Melstrom, et al. – “Black and Hispanic households benefit less than White households from brownfield cleanup and vacant land development. Second, owners appear to benefit more than renters from cleanup and development. Overall, these results provide evidence of differences associated with race and housing tenure in who benefits from local land use actions.”

Sen. Nesbitt voted no.

Wendzel voted no.

Bill passed and signed by governor.

B ill Details

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SB 159/160 – Exempt delivery and installation from sales tax

admin — Mon, 08 May 2023 20:29:27 +0000

The bill would exempt delivery and installation from sales tax.

Per Sen. Nesbitt, this bill was intended to fix an oversight in the tax code which would tax installation and delivery of goods as part of the sales tax.

He also stated at the county GOP meeting that this was what he traded to the Democrats to get his vote to fast track their budget. The vote for elimination of another tax is a positive. Trading the removal of an error in the tax code that should never have occurred, in exchange for making tax payers subsidize Chinese battery plants and big businesses across the state, is significantly less defensible.

Sen. Nesbitt voted yes.

Wendzel voted yes.

Bill passed and signed into law May 8, 2023: PA 29 of 2023.

B ill Details

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SB 63 – Allow school sinking fund to cover transportation

admin — Mon, 08 May 2023 14:52:30 +0000

The bill changed the sinking fund statute to allow for use of the funds for transportation.

Sinking funds are used to pay for infrastructure and capital improvements. Republicans attempted to limit the length of sinking fund millages from 20 down to 10 years. And they also attempted to have the Democrats follow the law as the bill would require a three-quarters vote to pass because it increased the statutory limits for ad valorem property taxes for schools. Both attempts failed and no Republican amendments were allowed.

Sen. Nesbitt voted for the minority amendment to limit duration of sinking fund tax which failed 17 – 21.

Sen. Nesbitt voted no on passage

Wendzel voted no on passage.

Signed into law May 8, 2023: PA 26 of 202

Bill Details

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SB 144 – Increase Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)

admin — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 22:49:35 +0000

The bill proposes to increase the amount of the EITC. The EITC is portrayed as a tax cut for the poor. But while it does provide some tax relief for low-income families, it also provides tax handouts to those paying zero taxes. And it’s history is one of easy money for fraudulent tax filings.

Even the IRS admits over 1 in 4 EITC credits are fraudulent.

Heritage Foundation Article on reforming EITC.

Cato Institute – article on eliminating the EITC.

Nesbitt voted no.

Bill Details

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SB 1 & 3 – EITC and pension tax deduction for government employees

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 19:39:00 +0000

This bill boosts the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit. This is a “refund” for those not paying taxes because of low reported incomes. It also repeals Michigan’s pension tax for government employees only. Rather than reward all seniors, it only rewards government employees, who have lucrative state pensions, with tax-free income, while leaving those who work in the private sector behind.

Sen. Nesbitt’s Statement: “We should provide relief to all seniors, not just a select few.”

Senate bill 3 also sought to increase the EITC.

Nesbitt voted against both.

Senate Bill

Gander News Article

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