Are Michigan residents willing to sacrafice to rebuild the state?

A recent survey showed a majority of the 314 Michigan residents said they would support an increase of sales tax to balance the budget and cut business taxes to create jobs. Yes - 314 is not exactly a statistically significant survey, but it does show that more residents are willing to balance the budget through taxes than previously thought.

Some interesting results:

Raise the income tax?
• 44 percent yes
Cut the income tax?
• 20 percent yes
Neither?
• 33 percent

Enact a graduated income tax?
• 61 percent yes
• 26 percent no
• 13 percent no opinion

Cut business taxes?
• 67 percent yes
Raise business taxes?
• 14 percent yes
Neither?
• 16 percent

Raise beer and wine taxes?
• 69 percent yes
Lower beer and wine taxes?
• 8 percent yes
Neither?
• 22 percent

Spend more on aid for public K-12 schools?
• 69 percent yes
• 16 percent no
• 14 percent neither

Spend more on medical care for the poor?
• 64 percent yes
• 15 percent no
• 20 percent neither

Of importance personally or for society:
• Keeping Michigan's economy competitive, 90 percent
• Promoting economic growth, 89 percent
• Caring for the poor, 82 percent
• Retiring comfortably, 79 percent
• Economic freedom, 66 percent
• Preserving traditional industries, 41 percent
• Earning as much money as possible, 57 percent

Read the full article here

In order to balance our budget effectively for long term progress, it will take a restructuring of the tax system. Does this mean raising some taxes? Likely yes. But it also means adjusting HOW we tax so that it still allows for fair business competition and economic development.

Cutting the support services of the lowest earners in the budget is not an effective way of balancing our budget. We will simply have to make up the cost in very inefficient ways, whether it be through providing more sheltering, food supplies or emergency room aid - ALL of which are taxed back to our local communities.

When you stabilize people, provide them with assets and give them opportunity to thrive, you lessen the costs of their dependency on society to support them. This is why it is so important that we protect the support services that already exist.