TAX DEBATE

Rep. Mike McCready (R-Bloomfield Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield), along with 11 other moderate Republican legislators, like Rep. Kathy Crawford (R-Novi) and Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland), the lieutenant governor’s wife, have been targeted by a Republican grassroots organization called Michigan Conservative Coalition. The group is particularly angry at the 12 –“The Dirty Dozen” – who they assert “crossed party lines” to vote against a bill House Speaker Tom Leonard proposed to lower the state’s income tax. “It doesn’t bother me – they’re just obnoxious. These anti-tax guys don’t listen. You have to do what they tell you to do,” McCready said. The coalition held a “Dirty Dozen” tax protest event on April 18 at the Birmingham Post Office – but only four people showed up, all coalition stalwarts. In response, McCready said he’s proud of having helped pass tax reform in 2015-2016, “the first big one under (former House Speaker Jase) Bolger on lowering personal property taxes. That’s taking $336 million out of our general fund – that’s a huge tax savings.” He also points to $206 million in homestead property tax savings to help middle income families, and $600 million that is now coming out of the general fund to pay for roads, part of the Michigan Transportation Fund package in 2015 to offset the increase in the gas tax. “These guys were so mad about this road funding package – but look at the roads these days, you see reports on potholes, and the money is now going to fix roads.” McCready said that without the road funding package, by 2019, there would have been a $2.1 billion – yes folks, that’s billion – shortfall in the general fund. “I don’t like being targeted, but I’m not worried, because I’m doing the right thing for residents,” he said, asserting these gadflies don’t understand fiscal prudence and responsibility.