Tag: Policy

Its actually been punished in 39 states as of 2012 by way of personal property tax on business.  Equipment, shelving, tools, furniture, etc..; bought, then taxed at 6%, then repeatedly taxed as 'wealth' like non-homesteaded property. In this way, business owners are told (as they are with smoking laws, work rules, and being converted to tax collectors) they really don't own JACK.  None of it is under any absolute control, and frankly if the Business owner doesn't make a buck?  They are still told to "Cough it up sunshine, you owe what you owe."

Just for being here.

And its not just the cost of having stuff laying around that punishes the Michigan entrepreneur.  As is the case with many government rules, its the cost of compliance. The Tax Foundation writes:

"TPP taxation is "taxpayer active," meaning that individuals and businesses must fill out tax forms listing all of their taxable personal property, adding a compliance cost to the total cost of administering personal property tax. This is in contrast to real property taxation, which is "taxpayer passive": a statement valuing the land, improvements, and property tax owed is sent to property owners, alleviating compliance costs while adding some cost for government to administer the tax."

But relief could be in sight soon. The state of Michigan will have a surplus.

"The Senate Fiscal Agency projected $1.3 billion in increased revenue over a May 2013 estimating conference. House Fiscal pegged the number at $1.1 billion, while Treasury offered a more conservative $708 million, citing uncertainty over unclaimed Michigan Business Tax credits."

Given the compliance costs can be transformed into profitable effort of growing business, and the added incentive for business attraction, (particularly to manufacturing and its associated equipment expenses) job growth could well explode going forward.

Too bad.  There is so much to say that addresses the broad based policies that complete streets encompasses. So much that brings an appropriate negative light on the issue and its implementation.  Roundabouts, suicide bike lanes (like the one in the video of the last story), spending large sums of money for rural areas where only the transient bike through (tour bikers) might use, and perhaps even other reasons like private property.

Silly stuff like that.

In fact, we have one of those bike lanes in Traverse City.  The bicyclist is broken away from the right shoulder, and directed into the left turn where the lane abruptly ends (no warning) forcing the automobile into the bicycle, or mating them inappropriately. Somehow, no one has yet died on the corner, though some close calls have occurred.  I suppose the smarter cyclists avoid it, which would explain why I never see anyone using the bought and paid for streetscape as planned.

So imagine the excitement in finding out the Grand Vision folks up here (A21 implementation team) were sponsoring a traveling road show to each of the rural townships.  The effort of course, was to have neat little picture show, and included in the packet of trustees would be a ready made resolution in support of 'Complete Streets'.  Ready to serve; just add moronicide.

In my own township, I didn't see it making much sense, so I prepared a statement.

What about Policy?

Kearsey opines:

"The interesting and at the same time sobering thing about this is how SEIU leaders see their members through a strictly partisan political lens. The space that the union used to gauge the strength of its members' partisan leanings are (Are you sorta Republican, really Republican, or really, really Republican?) could just as easily been used to find out how worried their members are about losing their pensions in a state bankruptcy, or whether or not work rules negotiated by the union made prisons safer or a host of other questions having to do with what MCO members really want their union to do."