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Serving People, Not Politics |
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A Leader on Property Tax Reform Brian Calley is a leading voice in the state of Michigan for property tax reform. He has traveled the state, teaching thousands of people how to effectively appeal their property assessments. His plan to reform the system includes: HJR B—Ban increases in property taxes when the value of your home falls. HB 4102—Require the inclusion of foreclosures in local sales studies so that assessments more accurately reflect the actual value of property. Pending—Increase the speed at which the State Tax Tribunal decides appeals of local denials. HB 4882—Fix the “pop up” feature of the property tax system.
A Warrior for Small Business Jobs are the answer to nearly every problem that Michigan faces today. For far too long, the state of Michigan has geared its business development activities, regulatory environment and tax policy toward big business. Brian understands that Small Businesses are our future. The state must focus on fair labor policies, reasonable (lower) regulations and a better tax system. There is no silver bullet that will turn Michigan around. It will take hundreds of small changes that culminate in an environment conducive to job growth. Department by department and industry by industry, the state must remove obstacles to success and lower the overall cost of doing business. While he has been outnumbered in Lansing since being elected, Brian has still gotten results for small business:
1.) Brian Calley fought to exempt agriculture from the Michigan Business Tax - and he was successful. 2.) Brian Calley defended the merits of small businesses, making sure that more than 100,000 of the smallest businesses in the state were exempt from the Michigan Business Tax - and he was successful. 3.) Brian Calley led the effort to expand the criteria under which small and mid-sized business receive access to the “alternative profits” calculation of the Michigan Business Tax. Today, over 50,000 businesses have seen tax reductions as a result.
It is no wonder that the Small Business Association of Michigan named Brian Calley the ‘Legislator of the Year’. Both the Agricultural and Small Business segments of the Michigan economy have seen a net increase in jobs in spite of the economic challenges we face. But Brian is not willing to rest on these accomplishments. His policies toward small businesses should be applied broadly across every sector of the Michigan economy.
The next steps to reform the business tax structure builds upon that which we know works: HB 5816—Increase the filing threshold of the MBT to $1 million in sales, exempting hundreds of thousands of additional businesses. HB 5816—Eliminate the owner income and net income disqualifiers to the Small Business Credit. HB 4750—Repeal The MBT Surcharge
Government Reform Brian Calley is a long time advocate for a true part time legislature. This common sense reform would save the state money, result in more timely budgets and result in fewer laws passed each year. It would be a big win for the people of this state. The characteristics of this proposal include:
HJR DD—A legislator’s salary may not exceed 25% of the average per capita salary of Michigan worker. HJR DD—A 90 calendar day schedule. HB 4133—An end to life time health insurance benefits for current and future legislators.
Brian Calley’s proposals for reform of the way state government operates do not stop with a part time legislature. He also supports:
HB 4613—Subjecting the executive and legislative branches to the Freedom of Information Act. HB 4121—Placing the Michigan Government’s checkbook online in a searchable database. Such transparency would result in less waste and more taxpayer accountability. HB 5721—Subject secret budget target setting meetings to the Open Meetings Act. HB 5772—Expose the true cost structure behind multibillion dollar government Pharmacy Benefit Manager contracts. HCR 0003—Reduce legislative salaries by 10%. HJR LL—Doc legislative and executive pay for each day beyond a missed budget deadline. |
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Karagan Calley |
