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Whitmer didn’t raise gas taxes, but not for lack of trying
She dismissed the idea she would raise taxes by 20 cents per gallon, then pushed for 45 cents
Michigan has not passed any tax hikes under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, but not for Whitmer’s lack of trying.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is proud to say that no new taxes have been passed during her tenure, which started in January 2019.
But if Whitmer had succeeded in one of her most important initiatives, Michigan’s gas tax would now be higher by 45 cents per gallon.
During a debate in the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, the Republican candidate Bill Schuette said Whitmer would pursue a tax increase of 20 cents per gallon. Whitmer called the statement “ridiculous.”
Two months after taking office, in March 2019, she went for a tax hike of 45 cents per gallon.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.