The Michigan Senate is expected to approve it measure next week, sending him to the governor’s desk where “we need her to sign his pen,” majority leader Mike Shirky, R-Clarklake, said Wednesday.
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But Whitmer is unlikely to sign the law.
Democrat of the first term, who claims that she “all in”On targeted tax breaks, said Friday that it is trying to negotiate a plan with the legislature that is more narrowly focused on meeting the“ needs of people who are now really feeling harmed ”.
The Republican-proposed state gas tax “didn’t fit any of these things,” Whitmer told reporters when asked if she would sign the bill. “So you can draw your own conclusions.”
This is the latest front in the battle for tax breaks in Lansing’s election year, where officials are discussing how to use about $ 5 billion in remaining federal stimulus funds, trying to create a balanced budget for next summer’s fiscal year.
Whitmer proposed to abolish the so-called state «pension tax“, repealing changes to the Tax Code from 2012 to exempt older income from taxation. And she wants to extend the tax credit to profits for low- and middle-income workers.
“I think focusing – a real laser focus on meeting the needs of people who are struggling to keep their heads above water, is really important,” Whitmer said Friday, noting that this week the state is also starting to send discount checks. $ 400 in car insurance. .
“I reminded the legislature that we need to agree on a budget and make a balanced budget, and we can also afford to give people some relief. I invited them to the table to start negotiations. “
The Republican plan to suspend the state duty on gas for six months puts Whitmer in an awkward position because it could slow its continuation “fix the damn roads,” as the Democrat promised in his first term in his 2018 campaign.
Whitmer in 2019 suggested Fr. Increase the fuel tax by 45 cents to fix the state’s destroyed roads, but Republicans refused to support the boost. The governor bypassed the legislature to begin Fr. a $ 3.5 billion bond program, borrowing money to rebuild state roads and bridges.
The Republican Party’s tax holiday will cost the state an estimated $ 725 million to fund transportation, including $ 255 million on state highways. $ 225 million for district road commissions and $ 142 million for local roads, according to the non-partisan fiscal agency of the House of Representatives.
Republicans say the state can use surpluses and incentives to make up for those losses. Michigan is also expected to receive it nearly $ 8 billion in additional funding for roads and bridges through the Federal Infrastructure Act, which President Joe Biden signed in November.
“We have more than enough cash to pay for it, so it’s not a concern at all,” House Speaker Thomas Albert R. Lowell said Tuesday after a 63-39 vote.
This week, Whitmer joined other governors who asked Congress to suspend the federal gas tax. President Joe Biden’s Administration Reportedlydiscussed the advantages and possible disadvantages“The introduction of a fuel tax has been halted, but has not yet publicly supported the push.
Republicans in the Michigan state legislature say the state should not wait for Congress if it can cut fuel taxes on its own. Nine Democrats have joined the Republican Party of House of Representatives in approving the gas tax holiday plan, which is now awaiting a final vote in the Senate.