Attention Grand Rapids city residents: does your wallet seem to be getting thinner? Well, it's going to get thinner again. Yesterday the City Commission voted to decrease your income tax exemption from $1000 to $750, resulting in a tax increase of about $13 per resident. The vote was unanimous.
The exemption was originally increased so that your taxes would decrease when the transit millage increased. Remember them telling us "this transit millage isn't going to increase your taxes because we're decreasing your income tax." Well, not only has the transit tax increased additionally since then, now the income tax is increasing, wiping out the promised compensation of the difference.
Let's look at the changes to Grand Rapids' residents' balance sheet in the last several months.
1. Increased property tax from the transit millage in Nov of 2003
2. Increased income tax for GR residents and non-residents who work in GR.
3. Increased property tax from the special education millage of Feb of 2004.
4. Proposed increase in property tax for the Grand Rapids Public Schools to build new buildings in June of this year.
5. Proposed increase in property tax for the new zoo, probably in August of 2004.
The powers that be don't seem to grasp that all these increased taxes harm the economy and decrease growth. Michigan's unemployment is already far above the national average and increased taxes are a proven way to stop or dramatically slow any recovery.
And Commissioner Jendrasiak, in commenting on increasing your income tax, is complaining about needing more revenue. How about cutting some city government? The rest of us have had to trim back, both in our personal lives and in business. But the City's appetite continues to grow.
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