Okrie v State of Michigan Oral Argument, Tuesday June 7, 10 a.m. Hall of Justice, Second Floor, Lansing

Jun 03, 2016

Okrie v State of Michigan Oral Argument, Tuesday June 7, 10 a.m. Hall of Justice, Second Floor, Lansing

Please help us fill the courtroom next Tuesday, June 7 when the Michigan Court of Appeals will be hearing oral argument in the Thomas Okrie v State of Michigan case.  Details about the case and the oral argument, parking, and other details are in the attached flyer.  To view the PDF flyer click here.

Here’s some background:

Recall that in 2011 newly elected Governor Rick Snyder proposed and the Legislature adopted a major overhaul of Michigan’s income tax structure. The Small Business Tax was abolished for 95 percent of businesses in Michigan - 86,000 businesses - and a 6 percent flat Corporate Income Tax was established only for corporations, not LLCs, partnerships, C-corporations, and other entities that were taxed under the former SBT. There were no strings attached to these tax changes and it is impossible to know if even one new job was created because of the abolishment of the SBT.

Since the new CIT did not generate enough revenue to replace the SBT, other sources of revenue were sought. The biggest tax expenditure on the books at the time was the exemption of pensions and some retirement income from Michigan’s income tax. Under the new law, effective January 1, 2012, retirement income of those born after 1945 would be subject to the income tax. Other tax credits were abolished also. The total tax shift from business to individuals amounted to $1.8 billion, about $540 million of it straight from the pockets of seniors and younger retirees.  Please make every effort to attend the hearing in the Michigan Court of Claims on Tuesday, June 7 in Lansing..  Click here for details and directions.  Read more