I have not made up my mind on how I will vote on the upcoming sales tax hike.  I have some questions that need to be answered before I decide.

1.Mr. Pscholka said on the radio that all of the money raised at the pump will go to fix the roads and that there will be funds to do other things.

What other things are they going to do with this money? Give more tax breaks to the wealthy? To businesses?

It reminds me of when they approved the lottery. We were told that all the proceeds from the lottery would go to schools. They didn’t exactly lie about that; all that money did go to the schools. What they didn’t tell us (in my opinion a lie by omission) was that they would cut the funding to the schools from the state’s general fund by an amount equal to what the lottery contributed to the schools resulting in no financial gain to the schools and a windfall for the state.

The people deserve to know the truth about what exactly they are voting on.

2. Why a sales tax increase? This is the most regressive form of taxation. People on limited incomes, seniors, minimum wage workers and the poor spend all of their resources on items that will be taxed with the exception of  food which is currently not subjected to sales tax. So they will pay a lot larger portion of their income on that tax than anyone else.

3. Why a vote of the public? Is that so the Republican controlled legislature and the governor can say that they didn’t raise taxes? The people did. All the legislature did was put it to the voters and told voters that was the best way to pay for the road work.

4. When the roads are fixed will this tax end? Why not put a sunset on the bill now before it is voted on? Will we be paying the higher rate for the rest of our lives? I certainly do not remember a time when a tax was repealed. Well, except for the small reductions in the state income tax and the taxes that the last Republican legislature repealed for businesses. Most businesses use the roads more then the average citizen. Why not put the tax on them to fix the roads that they need?

5. I do realize and appreciate that fixing the roads could create jobs and may provide an incentive for businesses to locate in the area. I just want to know what I am voting on.

Where can I get the entire truth about this tax increase? What will the additional funds be used for?

 

Jerry Sirk

Benton Charter Township