MASON — State Representative Tom Cochran (D-Mason) listened to his constituents in Michigan’s 67th House District talk about the need for tax relief for working families during a town hall attended by about 30 people Monday night in Mason. Rep. Cochran has sponsored bills to create tax equality in Michigan and to expand the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working families.
“Michiganders are working harder than ever, sometimes holding two or even three jobs just to make ends meet, but all the tax relief has been going to big corporations that are sending jobs out of state or overseas,” Rep. Cochran said. “Monday night, I heard people tell me that all they want is a fair deal from their state government, and I told them that I’m going to work hard to deliver it to them.”
Rep. Cochran’s House Joint Resolution K is part of a three-bill package that would replace Michigan’s flat income tax with a graduated income tax that would tax low-wage earners at a lower rate than high-wage earners. His House Bill 4342 would restore the Earned Income Tax Credit to 20 percent of the federal EITC, which is where the state EITC was before legislative Republicans cut it in 2011.
“It’s time for our state to get serious about helping the hardworking men and women who are doing all the right things, but still barely managing to get by,” Rep. Cochran said. “It’s not right to hand out billions of dollars in tax breaks to multinational corporations, or to give thousands of dollars in tax breaks to millionaires, while regular families struggle. I urge all of my colleagues to work with me to bring tax relief to working families.”