The Hagar Township Board of Trustees has formally come out against a proposal to eliminate property taxes in Michigan.
Supporters of the Ax MI Tax initiative are collecting signatures to place the measure on the ballot next year, but Hagar Township Supervisor Izzy DiMaggio tells us it would be a disaster. He says allowing for property taxes via things like millages gives the residents of communities local control over their government.
“If a community wants a police department, a full-time police department, if they want water or sewer, they present that to their residents,” DiMaggio said. “The residents will say either yes or no, by voting for no, you’re not.”
Don’t like something? DiMaggio says you can always talk face to face with the leaders of your township or village and have a voice.
DiMaggio says if Ax MI Tax becomes law, the state government would take over the funding of cities, townships, villages, schools, and libraries. From experience, he says the state can’t be counted on.
“There’s no guarantee that the state legislature will provide the critical revenue for it. The state government, over the years, has proven that they’ve taken away local control. They’ve reduced statutory revenue sharing. They implemented costly, unfunded mandates.”
DiMaggio points to the most recent state budget battle in which lawmakers failed to approve a spending plan by their deadline.
Hagar Township Trustees approved a resolution opposing Ax MI Tax on Monday night. DiMaggio says he’s going to send copies of it to every local government in Berrien County, as well as the county commission and state lawmakers. He says maybe this will start a movement to oppose the ballot initiative.
