Action Alert

February 3, 2011

Senate Finance Committee to Take Testimony on SB34 to Eliminate Personal Property Tax

The League NEEDS YOUR HELP! The Senate Finance Committee is tentatively set for Feb. 9 to take testimony on SB 34, which eliminates personal property tax. The committee is taking up SB 34 in conjunction with SB 1, which eliminates the Michigan Business Tax.

There is no replacement revenue in the bill. The bill sponsor, Senator Mike Nofs, has indicated that he wants to find a replacement for the revenue being lost by local governments and has expressed a willingness to work with the League.

The Finance Committee Chair, Senator Jack Brandenburg, however, has indicated that he is supportive of having no business taxes at all in Michigan in this Macomb Daily article from Feb. 2. Unless there is replacement revenue in the bill or tie-barred to the bill, we are adamantly opposed to SB 34 moving from committee or out of the Senate.

We must send a message loud and clear regarding the fiscal crisis facing local communities across Michigan. We need you to contact your legislator and all of the members of the Senate Finance Committee to let them know the devastating impact eliminating the personal property tax would have on your community should it get enacted without a replacement for the revenues to your community.

Please let them know what the impact would be on your budget and what you have already done to manage reductions in revenue sharing and property tax declines.

If you need contact information for your local legislators go here.

Click here and here for two sample letters you can use by simply filling in your information to replace the bracketed text.

Senate Finance Committee:

Chair Brandenburg 517-373-7670 - SenJBrandenburg@senate.michigan.gov
Jansen - 517-373-0797 - SenMJansen@senate.michigan.gov
Pappageorge - 517-373-2523 - SenJPappageorge@senate.michigan.gov
Proos - 517-373-6960 - SenJProos@senate.michigan.gov
Robertson - 517-373-1636 - SenDRobertson@senate.michigan.gov
Bieda - 517-373-9230 - SenSBieda@senate.michigan.gov
Warren - 517-373-5679 – SenRWarren@senate.michigan.gov

If you have questions about this, please feel free to contact the League's Andy Schor at (517) 908-0300 or aschor@mml.org.