LANSING, Mich., April 28, 2022 — Yesterday, members of the House Appropriations Committee met to discuss departmental budgets for the 2023 fiscal year. The Republican-led committee rejected amendments from state Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids) and state Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and provide Hero Pay to essential workers.
“The Republicans recently introduced legislation that would have given away thousands in tax breaks to the wealthy, yet they weren’t willing to cut taxes for working families,” Hood said. “My amendment would have sent 730,000 working class families an average refund of almost $3,000. Their unwillingness to work across the aisle to cut taxes for working families is a failure of leadership and betrayal to their constituents.”
In her state of the state, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had called for tax cuts for Michiganders through both expanding the EITC and repealing the retirement tax.
“Michigan’s essential workers stepped up when we needed them most,” O’Neal said. “They put their lives on the line to keep our society functioning. Supporting the hardworking people of Michigan who kept us safe and our stores open shouldn’t be a difficult or partisan choice.”