(MPRN-Lansing) The state House could again consider a plan to boost road funding that would not raise taxes. Instead, the proposal would divert money that would otherwise go to schools and local governments.
Republican state Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland) says his legislation a good alternative to a May ballot proposal that would raise the state’s sales tax from six percent to seven percent.
“The virtue from the taxpayers perspective is it will provide the $1.2 billion a year the governor says we need to fix our roads without raising taxes,”
said Glenn. The legislation is similar to a proposal put forth last year by then-state House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall). Bolger is now promoting a “yes” vote on Proposal One, which he helped craft as a compromise deal during the Legislature’s “lame duck” session in December.
Glenn says his plan includes a provision that would guarantee that funding for schools and local governments won’t drop below current levels.
Critics of the proposal say it’s inappropriate to divert school aid money and funding for local governments. They say the plan does not guarantee any new money for roads because it depends on continued economic growth.
