The MI Taxpayers Alliance is hosting an important forum TOMORROW (Thursday) on the future of small business in Michigan - and you are invited.

The featured speaker is the State Director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, Mr. Charles Owens. Mr. Owens' presentation, called 'Michigan at the Tipping Point," will explain how this year's Lansing budget and tax debate will shape Michigan's future for years to come.

Mr Owens states, "We have an opportunity to reshape Michigan government into a framework that will move our state into the future - where jobs and prosperity are available to all willing to work for them; or we can continue to deny the need for change and hope that things will get better. The latter decision will relegate our state to continued decline as more demands are placed on a shrinking tax base to support an unsustainable government bureaucracy."

Join with fellow business owners to hear NFIB State Director Charlie Owens explain how critical this year is in Lansing, and what you can do about it.

This presentation is FREE for any interested taxpayer (RSVP requested, not required, to leon@mitaxpayers.org)

Small Business Owner Forum with the National Federation of Independent Businesses

• Tomorrow, Thursday, April 29 from 4:30PM to 6:00PM

• At Nick's 22nd Street Steakhouse at 48900 Van Dyke Ave. in Shelby Township (S.E. corner of 22 Mile Road and Van Dyke) in north Macomb County. Website here.

• This forum is free. Non-alcoholic beverages provided.

• PLEASE email your RSVP to leon@mitaxpayers.org

Whether you own a small business or are employed by one, you will find this short forum very useful and informative.

Have you done your part to demand fiscal sanity? Help by protesting!

“Governor Granholm wants a new sales tax on services and President Obama tripled the national deficit in just one year. If we care about our state and country’s future, we MUST do our part to demand fiscal sanity. Please attend this important protest.”

The MTA tax & spending protest will be held outside of Sterling Heights City Hall on Thursday, April 15th from 4:30PM to 6:30PM. Sterling Heights City Hall is located at 40555 Utica Road at the corner of Utica Rd. and Dodge Park Rd. Parking is available at City Hall and across the street at Dodge Park.

Bring a sign that conveys your opposition to higher taxes, bigger spending, or bigger government to wave at passing motorists. Be creative (but not crude).

Bring family and friends. Free hot dogs and iced tea to the first 500 citizens that show up for the protest.

Compensation for Michigan's private sector citizens decreased by 10.3% between 2007 and the third quarter of 2009 - the most recent data available from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Most Michiganders are earning less and struggling to get by.

But one group is actually becoming richer in Michigan: government employees. State and local government employee compensation increased by 5.5% during the same period, and federal employee compensation is up by 7.5%.

And the good times will keep rolling for state government bureaucrats who are scheduled to receive a nice 3% pay increase this year unless two-thirds of state lawmakers vote to halt the pay hike.

Who pays for generous government employee pay increases in these tough times? Remember that Governor Granholm and state lawmakers hiked the state income tax by 12% and the state business tax by 22% back in 2007? Those tax hikes meant more money out of your shrinking paycheck and into the fatter paychecks of Michigan's government class.

Learn how to appeal your property tax assessments by attending a free, two-hour workshop offered by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. The workshop covers all the ins and outs of Michigan property tax law and takes you through the process of appealing your assessment. A limited number of seats are available at each class. Click below to view a schedule of workshops in your area and to register.

MTA Director's address to 600 protesters/activists on the steps of the State Capitol Building during Governor Granholm's State of the State.

Fellow citizens and taxpayers,

I am here today to report to you on the state of Michigan taxpayers.

I will NOT restate the obvious: that our incomes are declining while our state and local politicians work feverishly to protect the income and benefits of the government class.

I will NOT recount the fleecing of taxpayers that Lansing orchestrated in 2007, when they raised the state income tax by 12% and business tax by 23%.

I will NOT dwell on the facts we already know – the fact that the Obama administration is robbing our futures blind with unprecedented borrowing and spending. And that Lansing is gobbling up every dollar of that federal spending in a desperate effort to avoid real reforms, to avoid spending restraint, and to avoid fiscal reality.

Citizens and the MTA won an important battle last week when a federal court ruled in favor of Wayne County Taxpayers Association Chair Rose Bogaert and against Michigan's laws that stifle citizen recall efforts.

The victory is obviously way, way too late. Speaker Dillon probably survived being recalled last year because the Secretary of State enforced Michigan's unconstitutional laws. But this win will help citizens with future recall campaigns now that the playing field is more level.

Over 200 taxpayer activists were on hand when Robert Bobb, the Emergency Financial Manager for the Detroit Public Schools was named the 'Hero of the Taxpayers' and WJR AM 760 talk radio personality Frank Beckmann was recognized with the 'Voice of the Taxpayer' award at the first-ever MI Taxpayers Alliance Awards Banquet held on December 10th at the American Polish Cultural Center in Troy.

Wendy Day, who was a key player in organizing many Tea Party protests in 2009 (including the 'big one' in Lansing back on April 15) was recognized as MTA 'Activist of the Year'.

Michigan’s Republican candidates for governor debated for the first time on September 26th at the Biennial Republican Mackinac Island Leadership Conference. The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance hosted the event, which focused on state tax, budget and fiscal issues.

“The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance was pleased to provide a format for taxpayers to hear what candidates for governor have to say about solving Michigan’s financial woes,” said MTA Director Leon Drolet. “Michigan voters need to scrutinize their future leaders more than ever before. Taxpayers deserve specific proposals to fix Michigan and straight answers.”

You are about to be pitted against your own local government in a battle for your remaining income.

Why? Plummeting home values are (belatedly) slamming municipal governments and school districts with lower property tax revenues. Now these local governments are starting to panic. They see just one way of protecting their budgets - by going after more of yours.

As their tax revenues fall, some local politicians will simply vote to raise property taxes. Others need to ask voters to approve higher taxes because they already tax at the maximum rate permitted without a vote of the people. These local officials will carefully select the most obscure election day possible to place the tax hike on the ballot, hoping that government employees will vote while most citizens remain unaware.

DEFEATING THE COMING PROPERTY TAX INCREASES ISN'T ENOUGH

The Taxpayer Minutemen Project

During the American Revolutionary War, Minutemen volunteered to organize quickly in defense of fellow citizens who faced oppression from the British government. They pledged to respond “at a minute's warning” to threats against fellow citizens during the war. Minuteman Paul Revere spread the news that "the Redcoats are coming!" when the British marched to subjugate the towns of Lexington and Concord in April of 1775.

We need YOU to be a Taxpayer Minuteman!

Taxpayer Minutemen are citizens who care about protecting fellow taxpayers from ever-growing, expensive and fiscally abusive government.

Just complaining about increasing taxes and wasteful government spending won’t get anyone in the government to listen to us. Politicians only care about the demands of organized interest groups who can threaten their chances at reelection.

Minutemen are organized to fight back against tax hiking politicians – quickly and effectively!

Thousands of anti-tax activists from all over the state converged on the capitol this afternoon to tell the politicians in Lansing and Washington one thing: we've had enough! Taxes are high enough as it is and we're not going to take it any more.

Speakers from various anti-tax groups spoke at the event including MTA chairman Leon Drolet, who had the crowd all call at once the United State Capitol Switch Board to tell the Congress to stop their reckless spending. Even our very own Mr. Perks made an appearance!

News coverage of the event can be found here.

In case you haven't heard, citizens angry about Washington and Lansing's destructive taxing and spending orgies are converging on the Capitol Building in Lansing at noon on April 15th to protest. Its part of a national movement of citizens participating in taxpayer T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already!) parties.

The Michigan Taxpayers Alliance is proud to be one of six Michigan organizations sponsoring the Lansing protest.

Over 120 agitated MTA protesters and an additional 100 angry taxpayers greeted Paul Gieleghem, Chair of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners, at a 'town hall' meeting last night in Shelby Township. Commissioner Gieleghem scheduled the meeting to explain why most commissioners are seeking a 9% increase in the county property tax.

Gieleghem orchestrated several such town hall meetings to build support for the tax hike, holding most during the day so working taxpayers can't attend and stocking the meetings with county government employees and employee union officials. Last night was very different - the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance showed up.

Yeah, I said NINE PERCENT! And I'm not saying that they're "thinking of raising your taxes" or "might raise your taxes". No, they WILL raise your county property tax millage rate from 4.2 mills to 4.5685 mills - about a 9% hike. And they'll be voting on the tax hike later this month.

How insane is it to raise taxes on suffering citizens in the middle of the worst depression in decades? Do Commissioners have any idea how bad things are for citizens right now? Do they care?

Folks, it is time to protest. A protest is scheduled for Wednesday, March 11 at 6:30pm in front to the Palazzo Grande Banquet and Event Center at 54660 Van Dyke (South of 25 Mile Rd.), in Shelby Twp.

Learn how to appeal your property tax assessments by attending a free, two-hour workshop offered by the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. Currently scheduled are five Workshops for Detroit-area residents. West Michigan and out-state Workshops are being planned.

“Homeowners’ property taxes don’t always decrease when property values do,” stated Rose Bogaert, Chair of the Wayne County Taxpayers Association. “Too many struggling homeowners may end up paying too much in property taxes if they don’t appeal their assessments. These workshops will provide valuable, expert and free information to homeowners.”

Learn More...

As Macomb County Commissioners prepare to raise property taxes, I thought citizens should know the very realistic alternatives to tax hikes. Oakland County leaders have set an example by enacting taxpayer-friendly reforms that should be emulated throughout the state.