Bad roads of Saginaw

Jeff Schrier | Mlive.com Construction crews are replacing the surface of Remington from Michigan to Mason in Saginaw, June 19, 2014.

(Jeff Schrier)

Show me a lawmaker who is eager to raise taxes and you will see a lawmaker who is from another planet.

Which is why the Senate GOP leadership is floating a new road fix that includes a tax hike in the gas tax, but that is also linked to a rollback in the state income tax rate.

The plan would hike the state's current 19 cent a gallon tax by 15 cents, phased in at a nickel a year over three years starting this fall.

Your question is: what does the income tax rate have to do with potholes?

Well, if you are scrambling to find political cover for lawmakers who might vote to boost the price of fuel oil, you provide some tax relief at the same time so that taxpayers don't come completely unglued.

For the past week or so, Senate GOP leader Arlan Meekhof has done a series of one-on-one chats with his colleagues as this package has taken form, including another $500 million in state service cuts.

During the weekend it was unclear, however, if this entire package would raise the $1.2 billion the Governor argues is required to install a long-term road fix.

If the package was revenue neutral, that is the tax cut equals the tax hike, some would argue why bother? But apparently it will not be revenue neutral.

The proposed income tax reduction would lower the rate from its current 4.25 percent by one-tenth of a percentage point until it got to 3.9 percent, which is what former Gov. Jennifer Granholm promised to do before she left office.

Meekhof is on a mission to help the former Democratic governor fulfill that pledge. But he'll need votes to do it.

Democrats were just getting their first peek at the proposal as Meekhof briefed the Senate Democratic leader yesterday at 1 pm.

The D's have steadfastly complained about being left out of the process, but now that they are apparently in it, they are not about to sign off on any package that does not raise the $1.2 billion.

They will not be overjoyed with the additional $400 million in cuts on top of the $400 million in General Fund dollars for the roads this next year. That $400 million comes out of the hides of other state services in a classic example of stealing from poor ol' Peter to pay poor ol' Paul.

The GOP plan does represent some movement in which Republican senators finally have a few skins in the game after watching for weeks what the House Republicans were up to.

If Senate GOP members boost one tax and cut another, will House R's follow suit?

With House members "back home in the district working" it's tough to gauge if this hybrid will fly. But first things first: what will the Senate do this week?