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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Michigan House Republicans passed sweeping property tax cuts Wednesday night at the end of an 8-hour-long session.
House Bills 5872 – 5879 were approved by a largely party-line vote. Cuts include eliminating the State Education Tax and the “pop-up” tax that occurs when a house transfers from one owner to another.
The cuts could end up costing state and local governments as much as $5.5 billion next year, and could rise to more than $7 billion by 2035, according to analyses of the bills conducted by the House Fiscal Agency. Republicans argue that it will lead to more money in the average Michigander’s pocket.
“Now, we’re on the way to really give people in Michigan real relief,” said Speaker of the House Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, in a late-night press conference after the bills passed Wednesday.
Speaker of the House Matt Hall (left), State Rep. Karen Whitsett (right), (WLNS)
Speaker Hall said the eight bills could save Michiganders as much as $900 per year.
“We hear so much about property tax and how the cost of property tax has really made it difficult for people to continue to live in their homes,” he said.
The bills cannot be implemented without the passage of House Bill 5880, which Hall has said would raise the sales tax on luxury services. The bill currently remains in the Government Operations committee and is intended to help the state recover some of the lost revenue.
Democrats argue that because HB 5880 was not considered at the same time as the rest of the package, the current legislation is all smoke and mirrors.
“This property tax reform is fake,” said state Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.). “It’s a gimmick. It’s just a way for them to flood mailboxes all summer long and all fall.”
State Rep. Julie Brixie (WLNS)
Democrats said the cuts would pilfer from local schools, which are largely funded by property taxes. Eliminating the State Education Tax alone is expected to cost the School Aid Fund over $3 billion, according to the House Fiscal Agency.
“It’s doing nothing for people who are renters, and really, it’s not doing a ton for homeowners either, because they are going to be losing all of these other things through their communities,” said state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing).
Neither party was completely unified by the vote. Republican state Rep. Jaimie Green of Richmond voted against the measure, calling the bills “a tax shift” rather than tax relief.
Meanwhile, Democratic state Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit voted for the first time in months to support the Republican-led bills. She joined Speaker Hall at the Wednesday night press conference to champion their passage.
“To be able to see something like this today, to be able to go forward and to be able to make a difference to people who need to see relief immediately is extremely important,” Whitsett said.
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