Sales tax on lawn care?

[Steve]

Do you pay sales tax on lawn care? What's your view on this? How one day of a tax hike adds up - Last week, budget officials estimated the current imbalance at between $722 million and $900 million. Absent change, it will grow to more than $2 billion in 2008. Where to turn? Among Capitol watchers and interest groups, the idea attracting the most attention is to expand Michigan's sales-and-use tax to services: haircuts, plumbers, lawyers and lawn services, to name a few.

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I have been hearing this talk for the last two months. Not a good idea. Our economy is in no way to have service taxes. The real push behind this is our governor. For the last 4 years she has been trying to balance the budget and by balancing the budget I mean cutting state funding, cutting jobs, closing down prisons and police posts, cutting school funding, everything. Around here schools are budgetting for a $500,000 to $750,000 deficit because of the funding that has decreased. And these are schools with just around 1,000 kids. Teachers are being laid off, sports are being cut, and there is no money for educational materials. It's horrible! Our state is in some real trouble right now and if this service tax does go through it will just push more businesses and residents out of the state.

[Steve]

How have your property taxes been in the state? Have they been going up a lot too?

They are horrible! Another reason that people are leaving. Property taxes and the cost of living are actually chaper in Florida than in Michigan

[Steve]

Have the schools pushed it yet to the point where the students have to pay to take part in the sport teams?

Yes, some schools are making students pay for busing and sports.

They are even talking about having businesses sponser teams. So basically business ads will be on uniforms and such

[myrlin]

No property taxes are chaper in tenn than in fl poeple leaving here too. Are house market is nut proerty val have sky rocket a long with taxes. So if they come here they dont stay. A friend got 5 arg in tenn and show me is tax bill it was $68.95. that it

Barry

[Steve]

You know for a long time, I have heard school systems complain about business sponsorship of their events. They wanted to keep business out, as if business was a bad thing.

Now it seems there is a trend to have businesses sponsor school events.

What's your take, is it bad or good?

I see it in a couple of ways: First of all, if the businesses sponser the sports teams then the schools will not have to worry about funding for those teams. It's a win win situation for the school and the businesses.

Downside, by having a business involved with a sports team and the sponsership who is to say that teams then wn't be built around successful top grade athletes.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Downside, by having a business involved with a sports team and the sponsership who is to say that teams then wn't be built around successful top grade athletes.

That's a good point. I didn't think of that.