HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2017.06.15 - 22995MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #17I85
BY: Commissioners David Woodward, District #19; Marcia Gershenson, District #13; Helaine Zack,
District #18; Janet Jackson, District #21; Gary McGillivray, District #20; Nancy Quarles, District #17; David
Bowman, District #10
IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — OPPOSING THE ELIMINATION OF STATE AND LOCAL
TAX DEDUCTION IN PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP'S PROPOSED REFORMED TAX PLAN
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS President Trump has released his 2017 Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs
plan, titled The Biggest Individual and Business Tax Cut in American History" , which includes the
elimination of the 104-year-old income tax deduction for state and local taxes; and
WHEREAS the President's plan to eliminate this long standing deduction signals a disturbing attack by
the federal government on local governments and the vital services they provide; and
WHEREAS if enacted, the President's plan would result in significant pressure on state and local
government revenue sources, resulting in devastating cutbacks in essential services; and
WHEREAS according to the Urban Institute & Brookings Institution eliminating the deduction would
increase taxes for about 24 percent of taxpayers nationwide, with the percentage much greater in some
states; and
WHEREAS the federal tax subsidy provided to state and local governments through the State and Local
Tax (SALT) deduction is a significant form of federal financial assistance to state and local governments,
this typically occurs through grants, loans, and loan guarantees in addition to tax subsidies; and
WHEREAS according to the Office of Management and Budget, federal assistance, in the form of grants,
to state and local governments were an estimated $628 billion in 2015; and
WHEREAS according to the Tax Policy Center, federal tax subsidies through the SALT deduction and the
federal tax exemption for state and local bond interest provided an additional $135 billion in implicit
federal support for state and local governments; and
WHEREAS New York Governor Andrew Cuomo described the plan as It is not an economic policy, it is
political vindictiveness"; and
WHEREAS the following organizations have denounced the measure, National Association of Counties,
the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Conference of State Legislatures, through their joint
statement We fundamentally believe that Americans' income, property and purchases should not be
taxed twice,"; and
WHEREAS according to assistant professor of public policy at Rutgers University, Michael Hayes, if a tax
change of this magnitude were to go into effect, voters would be likely to press even harder for property
tax cuts; and
WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners stands in opposition to the elimination of the
state and local tax deduction and believes the deduction is an essential federal financial assistance tool to
providing the necessary services for the citizens of Oakland County.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby
opposes the elimination of the State and Local Tax deduction as indirectly proposed by President Donald
J. Trump's 2017 Tax Reform for Economic Growth and American Jobs plan and fully supports the
continuation of the deduction to sustain the essential services in communities across the country.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Clerk/Register of Deeds is requested to forward
copies of this adopted resolution to the President of the United States, the President of the United States
Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the members of the Michigan
congressional delegation, the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, the Governor of the State of
Michigan, the State Senate Majority and Minority leaders, the State House Speaker and Minority leader,
the members of the Oakland County delegation to the Michigan Legislature, the Michigan Association of
Counties, the Macomb County Executive, the Wayne County Executive, the Mayor of the City of Detroit.
Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing Resolution.
ttet,
Commissioner Marcia
Distd District 419
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District #18
Commgsiorkr Gary McGillivray
District #20
Commissioner David Bowman
District #10
Cefrfrmissioryktvi\tdncy Quarles
District #1
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Resolution #17185 June 15, 2017
The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no
objections.