Tag Archive for 16.7%

Cronyism, Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

So… Safe Roads, yes?

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Michigan traffic deaths fall 8% in ’14

Even the helmet-less motorcyclists strawman numbers are down. So much for the alleged ‘untouchable’ $18,000,000,000.00 *fund* that Lansing politicians are protecting for their insurance industry lobbyist friends, huh? It’s on the table for discussion now, governor Snyder.

You also have noticed that Snyder’s Martin Waymire, and McLellen is now pushing the repair cost meme, right?

GasTaxRegistrationFreesHikeDave Waymire, a spokesman for the Safe Roads Yes ballot committee campaigning for the measure’s passage, said most residents do not claim itemized deductions on federal returns. Crummy roads cost drivers an extra $539 a year in vehicle operating costs [Snyder’s people really cannot keep their figures straight, can they?] due to repairs, tire wear and increased fuel consumption, according to the proposal’s proponents who cite a report from the transportation research group TRIP [another quasi-governmental organization like PASER – that’s a Fact].

“Many Michigan residents today pay a hidden tax for our poor roads by virtue of [incompetency bordering criminal intent] the high cost of repairs that are incurred due to potholes, extra wear and tear on their vehicles,” Waymire said. “If you consider the hidden tax [or the BIGGER hidden tax on top of the 16.7% hike that is Proposal 1], which our opponents refuse to acknowledge, this is a substantial [Zero] savings for Michigan.”

Stop-100Another “unadvertised feature” of the plan is that taxes on fuel sold for boats, off-road vehicles and lawnmowers would rise significantly because the fuel would not be exempt from the sales tax, Anderson said. The new 7 percent sales tax [hike of 16.7%] would only be removed from fuel used to operate motor vehicles on public roads, raising compliance issues [see Here and Here] since the vast majority of fuel is sold by gas stations without regard to whether someone is filling up a car, boat or gas can, according to the nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

“Some promise it will be fixed. It’s not fixed now, so we included it,” said Anderson. He said he is not a “fan” of Proposal 1 but when his research company crunches numbers, “we do them straight.”

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You do realize that you are being lied to by Snyder’s cabal of *safe roads yes* pushers, right?

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Elections, Michigan, Opinion, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Proposal 1: Passing Along Hidden Costs to the Consumer

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Uh-oh. A major red flag for consumers should be indifference to us facing what could be the second highest sales tax in the nation on May 6.

Proposal_1_SnyturdAs part of Proposal 1, the May 5 ballot issue that would raise the state’s sales tax [16.7%] from 6 percent to 7 percent, commercial truck registration fees would rise between $100 and $1,000 per vehicle, depending on gross weight. The plan also would end a gradual reduction in registration fees — averaging $40 a year — granted on new passenger vehicles during the first three years of ownership [and loss of federal itemized tax deduction].

The higher fees for commercial trucks would immediately raise $50 million a year, while the fee change for new passenger vehicles eventually would raise an additional $125 million a year.

The extra fees on commercial carriers would be on top of a stiff diesel fuel tax hike also connected to the plan. Despite that, Michigan’s leading trucking association supports the governor’s roads proposal.

“We’re comfortable with the package, but we’re not out there waving the flag,” said Walter Heniritzi, executive director of the Michigan Trucking Association, which has represented motor carriers in the state since 1934.

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Truth be told, Mr. Heniritzi is a small lobby player in this matter so, his go with the flow mentality should be no surprise. He knows whatever is levied onto the trucking industry is passed along to the consumer. The big players will survive, and the smaller operations will go away or, be consumed by the big corporations as they have historically.

Think not? Well, let’s talk for a moment about Prop 1’s “stiff diesel fuel tax hike” for a moment, shall we?

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Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

Michigan Roads – How Bad?

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paser-1You are about to be buried in pseudostatistics and factoids purporting to demonstrate just how bad Michigan roads are. We have already demonstrated that the TRIP vehicle maintenance factoids fabricated by a devious road contractors’ business league are a complete fraud.

Now State of Michigan government entities are unleashing a wave of propaganda intended to drive your vote on Proposal 2015-01. Two State of Michigan government entities have prepared campaign flyers on behalf of Proposal 15-1 using Michigander’s tax dollars: MDoT and the Transportation Asset Research Council (TAMC).

Both MDoT and TAMC have spent years preparing slick pamphlets decrying the sad condition of Michigan’s roads, citing PAvement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) data collected by TAMC with MDoT and local road agency help. These pamphlets claim that 30 – 40 % of Michigan roads are in poor condition. But are they really?

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All the Other Stuff, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1

Arrogance Of The Aristocracy

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Having no one to tell them "NO" previously, our leadership brazenly assumes immunity from the law.

Watching Obama the other night was something many of my friends could not do.

As he quite literally leaned on the podium and gave an in-your-face ‘I don’t give a damn about your efforts’ speech to the congress, he further provoked with the threat of veto for anything that did not meet his agenda. The soft sneer of disrespect to the people’s house and its ‘opposition’ inhabitants was palpable.  But it was not unexpected.

How else might a top executive act when he is given every thing that he wants? In what other way would he comport himself when weak threats are buttressed by inaction and outright political cowardice?  The Republican controlled House of Representatives has hardly put its foot down each time the president has acted in an unconstitutional manner, and there is little indication it might in the future.

So the law does not matter to this president, and for many of the same reasons, it does not matter to Michigan’s governor.  When people seek power, they are sometimes willing to overlook the blatant disregard for checks and balances, and pretend the emperor is indeed fully clothed.

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