News from
THE MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jason Moon
517-371-5410
September 12, 2007

Republicans to Voters: We Prefer a State Government Shutdown to a Bipartisan Solution to the Budget Crisis

LANSING – Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer issued the following statement on today’s Republican refusal to support a House Democratic proposal to put a sales tax increase to 7% on the ballot to be decided by voters:

“House Democrats today offered a bipartisan solution to the state’s budget crisis that would allow the voters to decide on a tax increase. Republicans refused to even let the voters decide for themselves whether or not they wanted new revenues for vital programs such as fire and police protection, education, health care and veterans’ benefits. The sales tax ballot proposal Republicans refused to put on the ballot mirrored Senate Republican Majority Leader Mike Bishop’s own proposal. Republicans are clearly not interested in a bipartisan solution to the state’s budget crisis and they will be entirely responsible for a government shutdown on October 1st.”

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