Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, Speaker of the House Joe Tate, and members of the Michigan Legislature to announce the introduction of bills to roll back the retirement tax and increase the Working Families Tax Credit, lowering costs for Michigan’s working families.
“I’m excited to come together with my partners in the Michigan Legislature to announce these bills that will deliver tax fairness for seniors and working families as we all face high costs brought on by inflation,” Whitmer said. “Right now, families are facing the pinch and every dollar saved will make a difference, especially for our seniors and working families. Rolling back the retirement tax and boosting the Working Families Tax Credit will offer real, immediate relief to Michiganders. We will get these tax changes to put money back in people’s pockets done in the weeks ahead.”
“Today, we take a step towards helping Michiganders keep more money in their pockets, where it belongs,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Right now, seniors and working families are facing rising costs and difficult conversations about how to put food on the table or whether to defer dreams of higher education. Governor Whitmer and I are excited to work alongside our legislative partners to deliver relief and help every Michigander reach their full potential.”
Rolling back the retirement tax will save half a million Michigan households an average of $1,000 a year or more. Additionally, increasing the Working Families Tax Credit will deliver an average $3,000 or more to 700,000 homes and directly benefit half of the kids in Michigan.
“For far too long, the retirement tax has been a heavy burden on an already financially vulnerable population in our state and continues to this day to impact new waves of retirees,” said Paula D. Cunningham, ARRP Michigan State Director. “Millions of Michiganders who worked hard and played by the rules have seen their retirement undercut by this tax, forcing many to go back to work or delay retirement. AARP has fought this tax from the start and today we stand with the governor to repeal this tax and urge our state legislators to get it done.”
Today’s announcement builds on the Whitmer administration’s work helping Michiganders keep more of their hard-earned money. The governor signed bipartisan legislation to cut the cost of prescriptions and protect Michiganders from surprise medical billing, worked with the Michigan Legislature to bring down the cost of auto insurance and deliver $400 auto refund checks to every Michigan driver, and ended the tampon tax.
The administration has expanded access to quality, affordable child care to 150,000 more kids. The Whitmer administration also established the Michigan Reconnect program putting more than 100,000 Michiganders on a tuition-free path to higher education and skills training and set up the Michigan Achievement Scholarship lowering the cost of college by thousands of dollars a year.
