Last week Oregon voters approved a ballot initiative imposing a $700 million hike in business and personal income taxes. The Wall Street Journal reports that the government employee unions which funded the effort spent some $6.5 million, or $2 million more than business and taxpayer advocates raised to oppose it.
Here's how the Journal described the outcome:
The teachers unions exulted yesterday that Oregonians voted to "protect our schools and vital public services." What was really protected was the $83,402 a year average in pay and benefits to Oregon state workers, 30% higher than what private workers receive
Expect the success of Oregon's public employee unions to embolden similar groups in other states, including Michigan. Indeed, the campaign here is already underway. MIRS News reported Tuesday on a state Capitol press conference organized by a group calling itself A Better Michigan Future (BMF), in which spokespersons and members of the coalition behind it made their case for a graduated income tax, and for imposing the state sales tax on services.
Many in the press, the political class, government spending interests and even some business interests have been claiming that Michigan's tax system is "out of sync" with the 21st century economy and needs to be "restructured." However, the Mackinac Center's James Hohman has disproven the assertion that this state's tax system is "underperforming," showing that it is actually extracting a greater amount of revenue per unit of economic activity than other states, even as the level of economic activity here declines.
Nevertheless, the claim has provided a rhetorical "hook" on which this entity's coalition of government employee unions and special interest groups (see list below) - all or most of which support a higher level of overall taxation in this state - is hanging some of it's arguments.
From A Better Michigan Future Web site:
Organizations that support A Better Michigan Future's plan:
AFL-CIO
America Federation of Teachers/Michigan Federation of Teachers
The Arc Michigan
Citizens for Better Care
Common Cause
Global Behavior Education
Michigan AFSCME Council 25
Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation
Michigan Citizen Action
Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency
Michigan Education Association
Michigan Environmental Council
Michigan League for Human Services
Michigan Nurses Association
Michigan Primary Care Association
Michigan Professional Firefighters Association
Michigan State Employees Association-AFSCME Local 5
Middle Cities Education Association
PHI of Michigan
Planned Parenthood
Pride at Work-Michigan
Progress Michigan
School Community Health Alliance
Small and Rural Schools
United Auto Workers Michigan CAP
Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network
Van Buren Legislative Consortium
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