Tag: MBT

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is renewing his call for Republicans and Democrats to narrow their selection to one candidate to avoid the cost of a special primary election to fill the term of former U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter.

Um, Brooks .. there is only one Democrat from Local 245 in the special election.  AND there was only one Republican that filed well in advance too, well, until the cabals write-in candidate and her endorsing former state legislator and current Livonia council president, undoubtedly squeezed that Livonia civics grapevine enlisting at least two other filers covering for write-in Nansee Crassis.

Patterson said Tuesday that both major political parties should hold a lottery to pick one Republican and one Democrat in order to avoid a special primary election Sept. 5.  
....

"This is about fiscal responsibility," Patterson said in an early morning statement. "If there is only one candidate from each party running, there is no need to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election.

"It's ridiculous to spend that amount of taxpayer dollars on a special primary election for just a couple weeks in office."

Fiscal responsibility?  Really?  Sorry bub, you tossed that meme out the window with pushing the DIA tax hike.

But, OK, Brooksie, have your handpicked crony, MBT author and Corporate welfare write-in candidate drop out first.

"Taxes go to projects that are worthy, whether we use them or not," Patterson said, noting that when he travels around the world to recruit business, he is always asked about schools, neighborhoods and cultural amenities. "The DIA is a huge opportunity for me to answer that question in a positive way. It's an economic development tool for me."

Or not?  Holy bejesus!  Why don't you have another cocktail, Brooksie?  You too, Nolan.

But he takes a shot at the Veteran, Engineer, Teacher, Reagan organizer, Farmer, in a rather underhanded way that is confusing.  When talking about her strategy of attacking Bentivolio, a statement without foundation (as is often done by smug editorialists) is made:

"She doesn't need to pound the negatives of Bentivolio, the tea party activist, reindeer farmer and school teacher. Nor does she need to extol her superior qualifications. Both are obvious."

Perhaps you could elaborate Mr Finley? What is so obvious that it required merely a cheap shot from your pen to prove?  That he is crazy because he is a reindeer farmer? Or a teacher?  Help us out here.  And WHY is she superior?  Because she could pass a tax (the MBT) that is now threatening to have consequence on the budget because it was written so poorly?

Uh Oh.

Lets talk about obviousness. The write in candidate has her own issues.  Those including the fact she was AWOL when the opportunity arose to throw her name into the mix along with Bentivolio for the Republican nod.  OF COURSE she could have not known that McCotter had a crappy team working for him, and would put the district in play for primary action.  But like all other races, there are primaries for a reason.

They help us select the best candidate going forward from the perspective of the party electing them.

A late entry as if she is saving the party is pretty obviously a play for a faction's control of that seat.  Obviously, Brooks isn't happy Kerry is not his best bud.

As many business owners understand, there is "property tax" and there is "property tax".  And while the two seem to be quite similar, the difference is how one is handled over the other.

Property tax as we all recognize is the repeated taxation on real property (acreage, land, buildings) which is used in a number of different formulas and provides a basis for government funding, millages for special purposes, and has for so many years until recently been a boon for local governments who would rather grow more services, than cut taxes on the increased value added properties.  It is regressive, in that it discourages ownership, and puts at risk those on fixed incomes.  Property tax on real property as it stands is already bad enough, yet has funded state and local government expansion to a point that any contraction in values puts at risk those things necessary and proper.

But "Property Tax", as in PERSONAL Property tax or INDUSTRIAL property tax, is something even more sinister. In 2007, I wrote:

"For some of us, the process is mostly painless financially; A couple of desks, computers, a few inventory racks.. But for quite a few Job creators, it can make a profitable year much less so with equipment that costs hundreds of thousands for manufacturing processes etc..

Again, Michigan needs to re-visit the idea of eliminating these regressive policies which hamstring our ability to be more productive and provide for our OWN families, much less those who feed off of the generosity of Michigan taxpayers through the force of Michigan government. (more to follow on this)"

All equipment bought for use in your business is taxable at the time of purchase.  Then it is taxable when you use it, repeatedly, like real property tax.  It is assessed a little differently, and relies for the most part on voluntary inventory declaration of business assets. (though larger businesses might have a personal visit from an assessor around Dec 31) It creates a level of work for the business owner that can be complicated depending on the quantity of business useable assets.  It also creates a great deal of work for township assessors who must peruse the minutia (if they are doing the job properly) and properly report to the state the value of those assets and amounts collected.

Often it becomes a whole lot of work for very little benefit, if anything at all.

Not that my opinion is any more valid than those of you who have posted on this already.  In fact I have carefully considered the arguments, and added in the known variables along with best guesses and personal experience.  I rely on your observations as much as my own, however this is one of those times I must respectfully disagree with some of you on the negative impact of the state's new tax policy.

Last night I was lucky enough to attend the Leelanau County Republican party Lincoln dinner with my wife and a great number of friends. Some of those friends are either retired and/or retiring soon, and have a reason to be concerned about higher taxes, the loss of exemptions, and changing tax policy that may directly affect them.  There was no shortage of Republicans present, and many of those were folks one would find in 912 groups, Tea Parties, and other constitution interested organizations.

I believe the Leelanau county chair suggested the numbers involved in the county party were even more than last year.  And last year we had great success in moving the bar back toward conservative government structure with landslide elections both statewide and nationally.

The reason I mention this, is to establish that this group, even while containing a number of "old guard" party types, it was hardly a pushover crowd.  While being a social affair, there is/was still an undeniable no-going-back attitude, and frankly there were enough who had a concern as do many in this forum, that this was not the way to start off.

For the most part, I too could be counted as one who was also troubled about extending tax levels, and elimination of particular exemptions.  My understanding of the MBT going away and the Corporate tax replacement was not yet complete.

Frustration is seeing an unprecedented opportunity to fix the labor hold on Michigan and watching that opportunity potentially slip away because legislators seem to have forgotten already, the force that hired them.

Frustration is knowing the CO2 scam has not yet been fully purged, and that there are still government implementations being put in place to solve the non-existent problem.  Including in Michigan and even locally.

Frustration is seeing some of the good things like elimination of the MBT being accomplished not by straight out cutting, but by a shift to other victims.

Frustration is not having enough time to offer all the solutions we have properly, because those solutions are nearly immediately eclipsed by the next round of idiotic government actions designed to create more issues that complicate the previous ones.

Frustration is having a skill and not being able to apply it, because of an unconstitutional application of federal law, and the failure of the states to assert their authority, and protect the rights that guarantee the ability to use that skill.

I could add a hundred more to the list

Frustration is not an entirely crippling problem I have however.

"Michigan families and job makers need a tax cut," said Cox.  "By cutting taxes by $2 billion we will spur job growth, empower entrepreneurs and put more money in the pockets of working men and women so they can provide for their families."

Cox has traveled the state including attending several of the Tea Party Express stops in the last week discussing his plan to cut the Michigan Business Tax in half and to end the 2007 Granholm income tax hike.  He will likely discuss his fight to cut taxes, cut spending and his battle to stop the unconstitutional Obama-Pelosi health care bill at Tea Party rallies including the following locations:

·The Lansing Tax Day Tea Party- Capitol Steps, 12:30 PM;

·Michigan Taxpayers Alliance Tax and Spending Protest- Sterling Heights City Hall, 5:00 PM; and

·Blue Water Patriots 2nd Annual Tax Day Rally- Pine Grove Park, Port Huron, 7:00 PM.

Some Tea Party organizers have declined political speeches by sitting politicians in the past, yet as the elections draw nearer, candidates such as Cox will be more present whether in a speaking role or not (ALL politicians are encouraged to at least attend these rallies)and will try to gain as much exposure as possible.