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The Single Busins Tax

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The Big Al

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Let me tell you about the DUMBEST tax ever created.

It's called the single business tax and in the 70's Michigan adobted it. Basically, the single business tax taxes companies that hire workers in Michigan (like I said the dumbest tax ever).

The Rpublican rich boy Dick DeVos i talking about abolishing it but while that's a great idea, there's a snag h's not talking about. Michigan must BY LAW balance it's budget every year. Every dollar spnt must be paid for up front and the Single Business Tax makes up 10% of the state budget and there isn't much left to cut out of the budget without cutting into essential services that the state can't afford to cut.

So if we want to abolish the SBT, most of the Engler era tax cuts have to repealed. ither that or states services get even shittier than they are now.

Any opinions what Michigan should do about this?
 
Cut programs. Cut programs. Cut programs.
 
The Golden Wang of Justice said:
Cut programs. Cut programs. Cut programs.
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We have been but now we're to point that they have to cut into State Police and the they've already cut the education system to barely within tolerance (though if they could Detroit's School Board under control that might open some funds). I've suggested that they cut the pay for the State Legislature but you know that would never happen.
 
Oh please, I'm sure there's *something* they can get rid of.

What are they spending per pupil in the Detroit school district?
 
The Golden Wang of Justice said:
Oh please, I'm sure there's *something* they can get rid of.
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What do you think they've been for the past four years? This may come as a shock to you but there is a point at which you cut anymore without hindering the states ability to function and Michigan is very near that point.
What are they spending per pupil in the Detroit school district?
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It's not what they spend per pupil, it's the fact corruption run rampant through the school board (corrupt runs rampant through the city government). A lot of money is spent on perks and not kids. Engler even took over the school board but he didn't do squat to end the corruption.

Michigan is in a real nasty fix. Bush's tax policy basically works like the Single Business Tax because it creates loop holes that provide incentive to move jobs and money overseas. This hurts the manufacturing sector the most and Michigan is a manufacturing state.

DeVos yaps a lot with business leaders in his commercials but doesn't talk with the people Michigan's woes fall heaviest upon and that's our skilled labor seeing their jobs being moved to Mexico and China. While repealing the SBT will help Michigan we need to cover it and we're at a point where raising taxes in other areas is our only option.
 
Your view of what the state should provide is hindering your ability to look for answers.
 
The state is already failing to provide many of the things it ought to. For instance, I'm sure that even you would agree that building and maintaining decent roads is one of the things the state should do.

Even were the legislature to cut the sorts of programs you think it should, there could well still be a funding crisis.
 
Murgatroyd said:
The state is already failing to provide many of the things it ought to. For instance, I'm sure that even you would agree that building and maintaining decent roads is one of the things the state should do.

Even were the legislature to cut the sorts of programs you think it should, there could well still be a funding crisis.
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I'm sure there could be, though most likely not. That's the worst, when states are funding programs they shouldn't while not funding the necessary programs.
 
Why are you always suggesting to cut education? What's your justification for that? I don't see how that's good for society in the least.
 
Where does it say in the Constitution that the federal gov't has to manage or fund education? It's a state issue, period.
 
I agree with Mozz, it should be a state issue. However the state should have the means to provide suitable college prep and tution aid to provide it's citizens in the system to gain a reasonable education to be productive members of society.
 
The Golden Wang of Justice said:
Where does it say in the Constitution that the federal gov't has to manage or fund education? It's a state issue, period.
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I thought this topic was about Michigan, which if I am not mistaken is a state. And you seem to be implying they should cut education funding.

We've already had the discussion about why you think it should be states that pay for it instead of federal and established that you had no logical reasons for it whatsoever besides "the constitution doesn't say we have to." What I'm asking now is why you're supporting a STATE cutting its education funding.
 
I'm not necessarily for the state cutting funding, I'm saying that the federal gov't is dictating the education spending and that is hurting legislatures across the country.
 
The Golden Wang of Justice said:
I'm not necessarily for the state cutting funding, I'm saying that the federal gov't is dictating the education spending and that is hurting legislatures across the country.
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Exactly, No Child Left Behind places large burdens on states without providing funds for them to meet the standards. The federal government should either allow the states to run and fund their education systems by themsleves or if they are going to have federal policy on education be prepared to pay for it. I personally prefer the former because No Child Left Behind is a joke and hurts our education system far more than it helps. I think the only reason is got approved by Congress is because the name tugged on the harp strings of lawmakers.

Back to Michigan. If something happened on the federal level, yes Michigan could abolish the SBT without raising income taxes too much. Though, you have to realize Michigan income taxes are extremely and as you could read in the budget report are not even keeping up with inflation. Engler cut just about every tax except the Single Business Tax and basically made it needed to keep Michigan a float.
 
So do I.

I did little a research and the SBT will go bye-bye in 2009 regardless. But DeVos wants to make sound like he's the only one that can get rid of it.
 
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