I once asked former Barry County Sheriff and Wayland State Police Commander Steve DeBoer what a surefire way to lose an election would be. His immediate answer was “propose raising taxes.”
Indeed, human beings’ negative reactions to any threat to raise taxes are almost universal.
Remember the 1984 re-election ad for Ronald Reagan when “Grandpa” declares “Those Democrats want to raise taxes again?”
Remember the last line of the TV jingle for “BJ and the Bear? It was sung as “Best of all, I don’t pay property tax.”
Remember the Beatles’ “Tax Man?” “Let me tell you how it will be. There’s one for you, 19 for me… Should 5 percent appear to small, be thankful I don’t take it all.”
Though it’s been going on for time immemorial, we Americans have been making it a one-sided sport since those thrilling days of yesteryear with “Taxation without Representation is Tyranny.”
So it didn’t take long Thursday night to figure out that Dorr Township Supervisor Jeff Miling was backing a losing cause when he proposed the township take the green light from voters county-wide in 2020, approving essentiallly a Headlee Amendment rollback. The move would restore the township tax levy at 1.0518 mills, up from 0.7258 mill, a figure pared down to almost every year since 1978.
That Headlee Amendment, named after a businessman who ran for governor and lost in 1982, insisted that local tax levies be reduced to allow only a cost of living increase from the previous year. So a one-mill levy one year would rake in more than what one mill did the previous year because property values increase. So the rollback limited how much money local units of government can collect.
Miling was speaking on behalf of local officials who complain the current township hall isn’t big enough any more for them to conduct business.
Miling seemed to get some sympathy from Clerk Debbie Sewers and new Treasurer Laurie Perry, even though Sewers voted against a similar proposal a year ago.
But in the end, it didn’t really matter. Notorious anti-taxxers John Tuinstra and Chandler Stanton stopped the effort dead in its track by moving to table the proposal and instead establish a building committee.
Exasperated, Miling withdrew his idea entirely.
It was another example of raising taxes being a non-starter for virtually any reason. And those who oppose raising taxes most often will have plenty of public support. It is uncertain how much local taxpayers would have been burdened by the proposed move.
It’s really a shame. The reason taxes are necessary evils in a civilized society gets buried so often by naysayers who sometimes refuse to weigh the benefits and drawbacks before a decent, rational hearing.
As bad as taxes are made out to be, if we didn’t have them we wouldn’t have police and fire protections, roads, ambulance services, water and sewer, and the list goes on. The trick is to decide in a more straightforward way what we’re willing to pay for collectively for something we individually can’t afford.
I don’t have enough money to pay for a cop to watch my house against intruders and I can’t individually afford a firefighter to protect my house. That’s the whole idea of having public services and all of us collectively paying taxes for them.
Sometimes we have to stop ourselves from throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Imagine actively supporting and writing things in favor of taxes
Such cringe 🙁
“sometimes a tax increase is a good idea”
Why do a fair amount of elected officials when facing a financial shortfall almost always want to tax and spend? With inflation out of control, crazy fuel prices and our investments accounts taking a huge hit, and certainly looking at a recession, maybe we should not be thinking raising more taxes. Maybe……..;just maybe we should be thinking about reducing spending, such a novel idea.
Though I guess Wayland Schools wanting to spend nearly 50 million dollars on a new pool ( that won’t cost the tax payer any more $$) maybe Dorr Township could look into getting some of that free money………
Folks lets quit kicking the can down the road and lets start living within our means…..
Cheers!!
I think there were two things that caused people to hesitate on voting in favor of the proposal – (1) the cost of living with inflation out of control, and (2) seeing taxpayer money utilized for ridiculous projects – not at the township level, but at the state and federal level. That perception is unfortunately projected onto local efforts.
When will Americans just say no to increased or new taxes? When 65 or 70 percent of your check goes to taxes? Maybe it already does. Well think about all the seen and unseen taxes you pay currently. Income tax, sales tax..yes even on used vehicles that were already taxed, gasoline tax, phone tax, property tax, hotel tax, airline tax, vehicle registration tax, title tax, inheritance tax, interest tax and keep going and going. When, tell me when… will WE say no more?
At least since 1980, the state and national Republicans have held true on cutting taxes. When the economy is booming taxes need to be cut for businesses, their owners and high income individuals because the government(s) can afford it. When we have an economic slowdown we need to cut taxes for business, their owners and high income income individuals because they are job creators. That’s over 40 years of walking both sides of the street.
I am shocked about how many high rollers Townbroadcast has as readers. It’s readership’s assets must be on par with the top 10% of Fortune or Forbes based on readers like David sweating Federal inheritance tax
David must be living large since the first $12.06M or $24.12M of assets for married couples) are exempt from Federal Estate Tax. Good for him to be worried about assets exceeding those amounts.
An acquaintance had the good fortune to be born into a family of bankers who have done very well as banks like Fifth Third purchased the banks founded by grandfathers and grown by their fathers. According to him, if you are sweating inheritance tax you didn’t plan well or hired crappy estate accountants.
I want to know what parallel universe many of the readers inhabit. Sounds like an insular place where world events, market forces, economic factors like inflation along changing weather like drought never have an effect. Everything government needs to pay for enjoy prices frozen in time. The schools use magic materials that never wear out and instantly adapt like going from state of the art 1970 telephone phone lines to Wi-Fi and 21st century high speed internet. Wayland and surrounding areas never grow so increased demands on public services don’t exist.
All we need to do is click our heels together and repeat the mantras Must live within our means and Balanced budgets.
That sounds good if you never need to borrow for a mortgage or truck/SUV/car and can tolerate roads, bridges and utilities that are never upgraded
Damn it Couchman quite with all that logic, their brains can’t handle it, maybe it would be nice if we all could be tax exempt like all the churches.
Skoal!
Gar….such bitterness. Chill already man….it’s a holiday, the greatest birth of freedom the world has even seen.
Laughable, all day long from the keyboard king. you never fail. God bless you!
Skoal!!
Sir, Thanks, but I prefer GOD bless our NATION. Good day.
From Couchman:
“I want to know what parallel universe many of the readers inhabit. Sounds like an insular place where world events, market forces, economic factors like inflation along changing weather like drought never have an effect. Everything government needs to pay for enjoy prices frozen in time. The schools use magic materials that never wear out and instantly adapt like going from state of the art 1970 telephone phone lines to Wi-Fi and 21st century high speed internet. Wayland and surrounding areas never grow so increased demands on public services don’t exist.”
Taxes are based on a percentage. The things the government buys don’t increase in cost faster than the things the taxpayer buys. Wouldn’t it make sense that the same percent taxes should pay for the same goods 20 years from now when the price is 20 years of inflation higher? I guess that’s the alternate universe you speak of. Using your same logic in reverse, are you proposing we increase taxes to 100%? Like David said, when IS it enough? Most people don’t realize all the taxes they do pay.
Just owning a car you pay sales tax on the car, taxed insurance, registration tax, gas tax, sales tax on gas, road taxes (in registration I believe is how Michigan wrote that bill), taxes on maintenance and parts, and income taxes when you sell it. Add to these taxes all the hidden taxes you pay as part of buying the vehicle such as the employees wage taxes who made that car and ALL of the hundreds of businesses that built the parts for it since they are passing these taxes on to the buyer. Taxes paid for delivering the vehicle (diesel, DOT fees, etc.). Ah yes, taxes.
Too bad nobody ever complained about the wealthiest in this country only paying one percent on their share of income taxes. So it’s all left up to the working class to pay for all these services, and if you look at the federal budget 50 percent goes to the military. And how about putting a end to all these companies receiving tax abatements just so they can blackmail a city or township with not doing business with them unless, talk about being American.
So do we have to tax them on everything, no, but they should pay their share instead of making millions in profits
Back in the 1930s the corporate tax rate was 90 percent and they still managed to make a profit. The tax rate was as high as 50 percent in the 1950s. It wasn’t until the 1980s when it was slashed to 39 percent. That’s when we started to see the millions turned into billions in profits.
And now today it’s down to like 20 percent. Let the good times roll.
FRWF,
Sir or Madam,
50% of taxes go to the military AFTER and only AFTER you take out Medicare and Medicaid, and other health care programs. Medical care programs are 28% of the entire budget. The Defense budget is 50% of the 72% remaining.
So what’s your point, you are collecting from all the above, Sir