LANSING — Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed Republicans’ $2.6 billion tax cut legislation on Friday, citing constitutional flaws in how it was amended before it passed the House legislative.
Republican lawmakers did not negotiate the bill with Democrats before sending it to him.
Whitmer said the measure was unconstitutionally changed from its original purpose, which was to extend a tax filing deadline.
“The constitutional flaws in this rushed process are both glaring and obvious,” she wrote to lawmakers. “The bill was passed in defiance of constitutional rules meant to protect the rights of Michigan residents to evaluate proposed laws and have their voices heard before those laws are passed.”
The legislation would have permanently reduced state income tax in 2023, increased the personal exemption, increased it for seniors, created a child tax credit, fully restored the credit for low-income workers and revised and expanded a break for disabled veterans. The governor vetoed a plan containing the same or similar provisions in March, saying it would have cut funding too much and endangered key government functions.
Instead, Whitmer prefers temporarily suspending the fuel sales tax, phasing out taxation of retirement income and tripling the state earned income tax credit for low-wage workers.
The Republican Party of Michigan criticized the latest veto.
“She is clearly not serious about reducing the burden of her and (President) Joe Biden’s economic failures and does not want to work in a bipartisan way to achieve that,” spokesperson Gustavo Portela said.
