Lansing, MI — On July 1st, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued the following statement after the Michigan Legislature passed the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2023 state budget. The governor looks forward to signing the budget in the weeks ahead but urged further collaboration on tax cuts and inflation relief as families face rising prices on gas, groceries, and everyday expenses.  

“I am so grateful to my colleagues in the Legislature for working across the aisle with me to pass a balanced, bipartisan budget—the fourth we have done together. I will review and sign it as soon as possible, but I want to draw attention to work we still must do to cut taxes and put more money in people’s pockets.  

“Right now, Michiganders are facing rising prices at the pump, the grocery store, and on countless everyday expenses. We need to come together to offer them real inflation relief right now. We can get this done because we still have billions of dollars in revenue left on the state balance sheet after our budget.  

“If we build on our bipartisan collaboration on the budget, we can cut taxes for seniors and working families and put more money in people’s pockets. I laid out my plans to temporarily suspend the state sales tax on gas to lower prices for every driver, roll back the retirement tax to put an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of our seniors, triple a tax credit to deliver an average tax refund of $3,000 to 730,000 working families, and send $500 inflation relief checks to Michiganders. Let’s work together this summer on a bipartisan agreement that helps Michigan’s working families .” 

Governor Whitmer’s Plans to Cut Taxes 

In Governor Whitmer’s budget in February, she proposed rolling back the retirement tax to put an average of $1,000 back in the pockets of half a million families and tripling the Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to deliver an average tax refund of $3,000 to 730,000 working families. Rolling back the retirement tax would ensure seniors who have worked their entire lives and paid their fair share could keep their hard-earned dollars. Boosting the EITC would directly help half the kids in Michigan by helping their families pay the bills, put food on the table, and purchase school supplies.  

Governor Whitmer’s Plan to Offer Real, Immediate Inflation Relief 

In May, the governor proposed MI Tax Rebate Right Now, a plan to send $500 to Michigan’s working families from the state’s $3 billion in additional revenue. Thanks to hardworking Michiganders, innovative small businesses, and prudent fiscal management, Michigan’s economy is growing. They deserve real relief right now. 

Governor Whitmer’s Plan to Lower Gas Prices 

For months, Governor Whitmer has been calling on congressional leaders and the president to temporarily suspend the federal gas tax. After she sent her most recent letter, the president supported the idea the next day. The governor also proposed suspending the Michigan sales tax on gas in March. Temporarily suspending both the federal and state sales taxes on gas could lower prices by 50 cents a gallon.