STATE REPRESENTATIVE FRED MILLER: (D-MOUNT CLEMENS)

There are tax hikers and then there are tax hikers.  And there are liars and then there are liars.  Unfortunately for the good people of Macomb County's 31st House district, Democrat State Rep. Fred Miller is the latter version of both.  A tax hiker and a liar in the fullest sense of each word.  

A 2004 winner in the heavily unionized south-east Michigan district, Miller campaigned again in 2006 as a bit of a make-shift fiscal conservative.  Sure, he supported the governor's 21st Century Jobs Fund, basically a government bank account to pick winners and losers in private industry.  Sure, he was a fan of "cool cities" and full replacement of the SBT.  

But try to pin him down on some tax specifics and you were bound to get some very anti-tax, pro-growth talking points.  In his Gannett candidate questionnaire he was asked:

Q: The Single Business Tax is on the way out. Should a replacement business tax recover all of the $2 billion the SBT generates for the state, effectively shifting taxes from one business sector to another, or should there be a net tax cut for businesses?

A: The Single Business Tax (SBT), the main tax on Michigan businesses for decades, was designed in different times to reflect different realities. We must move beyond the SBT and develop a new tax policy that encourages job growth, investment, and innovation... tax relief for job providers is important, especially for small business...

Buzz words apleanty.  Encouraging job growth, investment, innovation... "tax relief" for job makers and "especially" for small business.  Sounds like a man that understands the basic economic truth... if you want more of something tax it less.  Want less?  Tax it more.  

Want to kill jobs?  Just increase taxes.  Want to grow jobs?  Cut them.  Miller seems to be in firm control of these fundamental truths.  When asked further:

Q: If you had to choose between tax incentives to encourage Michigan's auto-based manufacturing industry and emerging industries, what would you do?

A: Our economic strategy should incentivize those portions of the auto industry that represent the future, namely design, research and development, and engineering instead of just manufacturing.

More buzz words.  Incentivize.  Research and development.  Engineering.  Fancy stuff!  And when he says incentivize after being asked specifically about using tax cuts as incentives lets make sure we don't get confused about what he's speaking.

Miller told the voters he favored tax policy that rewards R&D, engineering, design etc.  He favored tax cuts and would certainly oppose disincentives.  

Sadly, like so many other Democrats, Miller's rhetoric didn't match his actions when push came to shove.  And oh, sure, I'm talking about his fateful and catastrophic votes early in the morning of October 1st when Fred Miller voted YES to raise the sales tax on services by over $613 million and voted YES to raise the income tax by nearly $800 million.  

Votes that hardly incentivize R&D, engineering or design.  Unfortunately that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Miller's penchant for swiping cash from his constituents.

Lets go to the tale of the tape, shall we?  And just to keep things neat and clean we'll keep it to legislation in calendar year 2007.

Fred Miller introduced legislation taking an additional $3.9 million from struggling Michigan taxpayers (House Bills 4387 and 4388) back in April.

Miller supported HB 5408 that raises the Michigan Business Tax liability on small businesses by 33% while ignoring $670 million worth of spending cuts and reforms proposed by the House Republicans.

Miller supported HB 5105 that eliminated a tax hike repeal on struggling taxpayers who either live or work in Detroit.

He supported HB 5424, taxing 1-800 phone lines, vending machines, free meals, magazines, movies, truck equipment, pollution control equipment, industrial machinery components.

Miller supported House Bill 5096, taxing Chrysler $123 million.

He supported HB 4376, a measure raising taxes on Detroit residents specifically by $300 per household.  Because people aren't leaving Detroit fast enough.

He supported HB 4882, a measure taxing car dealers on  inventory they purchase in other states.

And Miller supported House Bill 4221, raising the tax on Michigan residents disposing of their garbage by 3,571%!

I wonder which one of those tax hikes "encourages job growth, investment, and innovation" or provides "tax relief for job providers... especially for small business."  His words.