Throughout my campaign for governor, I’ve talked about fixing Lansing and putting Michigan back to work. Today, I’m announcing my Michigan Construction Jobs Now plan, which is a critical part of my effort to revive our state’s economy.
My plan would help jumpstart our state’s economy right away by targeting the construction sector, which has been especially hard hit by the economic down turn. While Michigan’s overall unemployment remains at about 15 percent, the skilled-trades people are experiencing an unemployment rate of about 33 percent.
I propose we give homeowners and businesses a tax incentive to invest here in Michigan and help create jobs. Under my plan, people would have 12 months to complete home and business renovations, remodels and similar improvement projects. Those construction projects, which would normally increase the property’s taxable value, would not be counted for tax assessment purposes until the house or business is sold.
My plan also affects new home construction, meaning property with newly built homes completed during the 12-month period would be taxed at the value of the undeveloped land for up to a year after completion of the project or until the property is sold, whichever comes first. After that, the property reverts to its normal assessed value.
This proposal benefits people across Michigan. Homeowners and businesses win by getting an incentive to complete projects without receiving a higher tax bill. State and local governments benefit from additional tax revenue generated by the new construction permits and boosted sales tax revenue. And the hard-working skilled tradesmen and women win with more projects and jobs.
I was pleased to announce my Michigan Construction Jobs Now plan, flanked by Sen. Alan Sanborn of Macomb County, and representatives of Michigan homebuilder and contractor groups. I am honored to have to the support of these leaders. I urge the Legislature to take action on this proposal immediately. With their help we will see construction vehicles in front of our homes and businesses, not moving trucks driving away.
Please encourage your elected officials to get behind my plan to fix Lansing and put Michigan back to work.
Mike
It is a good idea Mike, and will help jump start our State. But it but one of the steps needed. We still need to secure the employment of the homeowners. The democrats want to use the ploy of reducing sales tax to entice adding tax to services, which will include the building trades.
We need a tax structure change that will bring employers back to Michigan and keep the ones we have. We need the MiFairTax plan or a better plan, of which does not exist. Please help get it on the August 2010 primary ballot.
This is the best idea I have heard! It helps everyone! When builders build homes they employ people and order materials. Cities and townships will get ongoing tax revenue to support them and their schools. Local merchants benefit from new customers who are now buying more things for their homes, eating in their resturants, etc. Workers going back to work need trucks and vans. suppliers need delivery trucks.etc.( don’t the American auto makers produce the best trucks and vans in the world) We are creating jobs,generating sales and property tax. The cycle that was so broken now starts again! Mike, action like this is brilliant! You have our support!
Wow, a substantive idea for fixing Michigan; I wish we could see the same from some Democratic candidates… except that there aren’t any!
Way to go, Mike!
Sounds like a great idea! I was looking through your credentials on the Sherriff website, pretty impressive. You should have your resume posted on this website. I am pretty sure I will be voting for you. Finally someone who actually has some good “old fashoined” common sense and integrity. Whatever ever you do, no matter how broke your campaign gets, NEVER let them buy you please!
I believe you have a great idea, hopefully the homeowners and business community can obtain loans from banks to help make this a reality. That covers 12 months, and then what? You have my support.
Thanks,
Tom
I don’t want to throw a wet blanket on this idea, but who’s going to pay for all this “forced fun” construction projects? I’m not sure how this is any different from the Democrat’s ideas of creating “shovel-ready” projects that never seem to happen. I’m not sure offering a 12-month incentive to get projects done is enough. Not when unemployment still hangs there at 10% and there’s no recovery in sight.
If we’re getting new construction homes, that just means it will take longer to sell your home which has already been on the market at dirt cheap for 3+ years. This is a great deal…. for a small percentage of Michigan citizens.
I think it’s out of touch to think tax incentives will boost the economy and create jobs. We can’t sell the homes that are already for sale at dirt cheap prices, so how are we going to sell new construction? Not only that, no one has any money to build or improve anything! It’s scary to see that our politicians are so out of touch with reality. In the City of Royal Oak, although the property values have dropped 3/4 to 1/2 of what they were worth 6 years ago, the city taxes continue to increase. Now there is something you could do, decrease taxes to coincide with the loss in property values. Not only would that be fair, but it would put more money in the citizen’s pockets to spend.
This is interesting. My concern is the part about new home construction. I think those of us in existing homes who are seeing the values continue to plummet might feel better about the state putting the breaks on new home construction, or at least not give incentives for it. Incentives for buying existing homes and adding to the square footage might be a great alternative.
need to work been layoff for a year what is everone going to do know one try to give a job i have look for work ever day i was with the same company for 17years const and thy lay me off i dont know what the poor people is going to do
Dear Mr. Bouchard,
I am a long time Republican precinct delegate and try to be conscientious about whom I intend to support and advise people in my precinct to support. I have been wondering about the Republican candidates for governor. This proposal—to give spot tax breaks for home improvement work–has helped me make up my mind. I will NOT be supporting you.
I have been desperately seeking a job for seven years. For seven of the last ten years my taxes have been more than my income. I have five degrees including an M.A. I have over 15 years’ work experience and am a published author. I have Michigan and ASE Master Auto and Heavy Truck Mechanic Certification.
I just received five nasty letters from a credit card company and my home where I have lived since I was two is regularly threatened by the mortgage company. The only work I have been able to get since January 2003 has been various odd jobs: a contract editing and desktop publishing project for an antique auto club, odd jobs obtained on my own through and through a church group. I am listed on just about every major job board and contract employment service. I work for hours every day on job searching and have sent out thousands of resumes and filled out hundreds of application forms. I dread going “door knocking at employers after coming home-often quite literally crying because I was told, “We just laid off five people.” “We just laid off seven people.” “We just laid off three people.” Needless to say economic and employment issues are in the forefront of my mind. I am sick of beating my head against a brick wall trying to find a job in a state loosing 10,000 to 20,000 jobs a month. Where I end up standing in line for over an hour with dozens of unemployed engineers, accountants, machinists, project planners, and other highly skilled and talented people just to hand in a resume and engage in a two-minute interview. And I am frantic to save my home and what little I have left.
Michigan has had far too much meddling and micro-managing from arrogant and ignorant government officials. It has also had far too many tax increases. I am sick of big spending arrogant, intrusive Democrats and even more sick of likewise Republicrats.
What Michigan needs is freedom.
I will only a support a candidate who makes a firm commitment to liberating Michigan from decades of semi-socialism. Someone who will advocate that taxes be cut and unnecessary regulations repealed. That cartelizing laws also be repealed. Michigan’s bloated state and local governments need to be cut back a lot. I am sick of being a tax peon.
I am sick of officials in my or my neighbors face over every little trivial thing. For example, my next door neighbor has serious back problems from injuring himself while taking care of his invalid mother for 14 years. Last spring we had some heavy rains and his back was hurting especially badly—so he got a little behind on cutting his laws. A city “blight inspector” showed up threatening him with fines and fees. Phooey! (While the governor cannot repeal local ordinances, he certainly sets the tone for the state.)
Now if you wish me to reconsider, please answer the following questions:
1. Will you make it a top priority of your administration to repeal all of Governor Granholm’s tax increases? I can remember when the state had no income tax and the sales tax was 3%. And I don’t remember anyone accusing Soapy Williams of being overly frugal!
2. Will you make it a top priority of your administration to support the passage of a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights imposing strict taxing, spending, and hiring limits on the state government similar to that which was passed in Colorado?
3. Related to the above, for seven of the last ten years, my taxes have been more than my income. Likewise with people losing their homes to foreclosure all over the place, the Macomb County Commission raised property taxes an additional 9% so former big shot county officials wouldn’t have to take a slight cut in their pensions to balace the county budget. What are you going to do about it? These pensions should have been funded through investments NOT the county general fund.
4. Even worse than Michigan’s outrageous taxes is the atrocious regulatory climate in this state.. Do I really need to be threatened with fines and jail over the length of my downspouts, how soon I get the snow shoveled, how long and how soon my grass is cut, and cracks in my sidewalk? My father used to be a police officer: a park ranger at Metropolitan Beach. He retired in 1979 and passed away in 1989. It became clear reading between the lines of some things he said that there are so many laws and they are so badly drafted, EVERYONE in this state—you included—is a criminal and the only thing keeping you or me or anyone out of jail, or locked up in a hospital room as crazy, is he just hasn’t gotten a cop or a bureaucrat angry at him. Now my dad did his job judiciously with common sense and balance, but there are always overzealous officers who try to make themselves not only policeman but judge, jury, and hangman as well. This is hardly the rule of law and makes a mockery of the whole idea the citizen is supposed to know the law. Would you, therefore, support a special committee to review the state statutes and local ordinances with a view to recommending to the legislature and county and city commissions unnecessary, repressive, frivolous, delatorious, absurd, micromanaging, and just plain silly laws which ought to be repealed
5. Will you make it a priority of your administration to seek the elimination of unnecessary licenses and fees which only burden businesspeople without providing any real benefit to other citizens and which may be used to cartelize certain lines of business?
6. Will you support legislation allowing firms from other states to sell health insurance in Michigan?
7. Will you support legislation enforcing Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution, “No state shall…make anything but gold or silver coin a tender in payment of debts.” Further that the unit of money shall be a “dollar” of twenty five and eight-tenths grains of gold as provided for in The Coin Act of 1873, The Resumption Act of 1875, and The Gold Standard Act of 1900. That Federal Reserve Notes be free to float in value against gold and silver, and that anyone may refuse Federal Reserve Notes in payment of taxes, wages, etc.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Gary J. Mallast