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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2005.05.26 - 27942Miscellaneous Resolution #0510.5 BY: Commissioner Dave VVoodward, District #18 RE: Board of Commissioners - Support for the Michigan Jobs and Investment Act TO: Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen; WHEREAS Oakland County is the economic engine of Michigan and has already taken bold steps to help attract new businesses and good paying jobs to strengthen our economy; and WHEREAS the Michigan Single Business Tax (SBT) is the only general tax on business in Michigan; and WHEREAS the Washington D.C. based Tax Foundation ranked Michigan's SBT the absolute worst among U.S. corporate state taxes; and WHEREAS the SBT, as it exists today, hinders Oakland County's ability to most effectively attract the new businesses and good-paying jobs to locate here; and WHEREAS under the current SBT, companies that make no profits still pay a sizable tax; and WHEREAS manufacturers pay the brunt of the SBT; and WHEREAS the SBT tax rate is relatively high; and WHEREAS the SBT today actually penalizes employers for creating jobs and is an impediment to job growth; and WHEREAS to revitalize Michigan's and further strengthen Oakland County's economy, we need bold steps that will boost job creation and business investment; and WHEREAS the Michigan Jobs and Investment Act is currently before the Michigan State Legislature; and WHEREAS this Act will cut the standard SBT rate from 1.9 to 1.2 percent, a 37 percent reduction; and WHEREAS this Act will cut the small business SBT rate from 2.0 to 1.2 percent, a 40 percent reduction; and WHEREAS this Act will create a refundable 35 percent personal property tax credit for manufacturing, research and development property to encourage business investment in Michigan and Oakland County; and WHEREAS this Act creates a new Research and Development Compensation Tax Credit equal to 1.2 percent of compensation for research and development staff, helping support the attraction and retention of skilled workers; and WHEREAS this Act changes the tax formula to put more emphasis on profit, less on equipment, salaries and health care. The plan eliminates penalties for employers who invest in worker benefits; and WHEREAS this Act will bring taxes on insurance companies more in line with national averages; and Chairper ove the/al:option of the foregoing Resolution. th1,14t.i jr4s-et6 Commissioner District # 0202- ommissidnerDave Woodward District #18 Commissioner Commissioner Dis),Fiqt# / Contnissioner Disffict # Commission& District # Commissioner District # Commissioner District # C-afnmissioner District # Commissioner District # WHEREAS this proposal is revenue neutral, and remains committed to the philosophy that the state's priority should be to reduce spending to the current level of resources; and WHEREAS this proposal insures that the manufacturing sector should not be taxed far more than businesses in the financial sector; and WHEREAS this Act will strengthen and complement initiatives already underway in Oakland County, such as, Emerging Sectors and Automation Alley. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners supports the Michigan Jobs and Investment Act. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED we find that this proposal offers common-sense solutions to the disincentives and inequities the SBT has caused on job creation and business investment in Oakland County and Michigan. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED we find that this proposal offers long-overdue fairness to the business tax structure in a responsible way, without moving more burdensome taxation to families through higher state or local taxes; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution is forwarded to the Governor, all Oakland County state legislators, members of the House and Senate Taxation Committees, the Oakland County Executive, Oakland County's legislative lobbyists and the Michigan Association of Counties. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners instructs our county commission lobbyist to work extensively towards the passage of the Michigan Jobs and Investment Act. Commissioner District # Commissioner District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Commissioner Commissioner District # District # Miscellaneous Resolution #05105 May 26, 2005 The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee. There were no objections.