Michigan House approves shifting taxes from businesses to individuals

Created: April 29, 2011 09:20 | Last updated: July 31, 2020 00:00

The Michigan House of Representatives passed a series of bills Thursday that will revamp the state’s tax structure, shifting $1.8 billion in taxes from businesses to individuals, including a new tax on pensions.

Republicans argue that reducing the tax burden on businesses will allow them to create more jobs, fueling an economic boom. Democrats say that shifting the tax burden away from businesses and on to seniors and the working poor, along with steep cuts in education and much more, will reduce the state’s ability to create new jobs and is fundamentally unfair.

The response to these bills from House Democrats was swift and angry. House Minority Leader Richard Hammel said in a press release, “The Republican tax structure is right in line with what they’ve been doing from the start – shifting the burden onto the regular folks of our state and taking away their rights. With these massive tax increases and the diversion of School Aid Fund money today, they are attacking the right to a secure retirement, the right to a quality education and the right to work your way out of poverty. Residents should also get used to losing their constitutional rights, since once again Republicans passed a law that Michigan voters can never repeal.”