House Passes Tax Rollback
The state House has approved an election-year tax reduction. The measures now head to the state Senate. Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta reports:
Last year, the Legislature delayed an income tax rollback. That helped balance the budget and pay for eliminating the Michigan Business Tax. This year, the Legislature wants to move up a reduction in the tax rate and increase the personal exemption. Republican Representative Jud Gilbert chairs the House Tax Policy Committee. He says it’s time for individual taxpayers to benefit from the state’s economic recovery. “I kind of take exception to the idea that this is somehow political pandering, election year politics,” Gilbert said. But, Democrats say that’s exactly what this tax cut is. And they say it’s paltry compared to the loss of a dozen deductions and exemptions last year that shifted more of the tax burden to low- and middle-income families.
Snyder Recall Over
Just two days after the failed attempt to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, an attempt to recall Governor Rick Snyder has ended. In an early morning press release, the group Michigan Rising says it's ending its effort to recall Snyder after months of trying to gather signatures to put the question on the state’s November ballot. "It has become abundantly clear that Michigan Rising was not going accomplish its goal of recalling Governor Snyder. The results in Wisconsin crystalized how difficult a task it is to recall a sitting governor,” the press release states. There has never been a successful Gubernatorial recall in the state’s history.
Ambassador Bridge Owner Ramps Up Spending
A new report from a Washington-based watchdog group finds Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun is ramping up political spending as plans for a new, public bridge from Detroit to Windsor, Ontario move forward. Sarah Cwiek reports:
The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington--or CREW--tracked campaign donations to members of Congress from Moroun’s family, company, and associates. It found well over a -million dollars in donations from 2004 through 2010. Melanie Sloan is executive director of CREW Executive Director. She says the Morouns are targeting Michigan members of Congress. An Ambassador Bridge spokesman dismisses the report as “misguided,” and accuses CREW of deliberately skewing facts and context.
