Governor Whitmer vetoes $2.5B tax cut bill, says she will veto 2023 gas tax suspension

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed an income tax bill Friday, and says she intends to veto a proposed gas tax suspension upon receipt.

Senate Bill 768 would have lowered the individual income tax rate to 3.9% and created a $500 tax credit for each child under the age of 19. The legislation also increased the tax deduction for seniors and lowered the age of eligibility for the tax deduction from 67 to 62.

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“What Gov. Whitmer is telling Michiganders with this veto is that she knows how to spend their money better than they do,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey. “She doesn’t.”

Governor Whitmer said she vetoed the bill because, “...it would force tax hikes on families or deep and painful cuts to services, hurt our children’s ability to catch up in school, force layoffs of cops and firefighters, and kneecap our ability to keep fixing crumbling roads. Leaders in business, education, public safety, and mayors across our state have requested a veto because of the damage these proposals would do.”

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Whitmer also announced that she intends to veto House Bill 5570, a proposed suspension of Michigan’s gas tax. Though she said she intends to veto that legislation, earlier Friday she proposed an alternative in temporarily freezing Michigan’s 6% sales tax on gasoline and diesel fuel as a way to lower high pump prices and keep intact road and bridge funding.

Shirkey said, “The governor isn’t just a day late and a dollar short on this issue, she’s weeks late and millions of dollars short. Other than writing a letter to Nancy Pelosi, she’s been absent as Michiganders are struggling with record-high gas prices. Now she’s proposing a half-measure that won’t save drivers as much as the bill we’ve already passed.”

“HB 5570 ... would not take effect until 2023,” Whitmer said. “Our shared goal is to lower costs, but this misguided proposal does nothing for Michiganders facing pain at the pump right now.”

Next:

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• Lansing residents invited to meet Fire Chief candidates
• Michigan State Rep. Jones sentenced for drunk driving offense

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