Thursday, July 14, 2011

Will Work for Taxes

We were among the fortunate. My wife and I both were born before 1946, so my pension continued to be exempt when Michigan Gov. Snyder and his critics “compromised” by phasing in new taxes on retirement income rather than taxing all seniors the full amount immediately.

Almost hidden in the hot debates were the other two legs of the proposal to raise taxes on seniors. One removed the homestead tax credit for residences with assessed values above $135,000. The other removed the $3,200 individual personal income tax exemption for all seniors.

Thank you, governor, for sparing the oldest Michiganders such as us from part of the tax increase. Unfortunately, the other two tax increases will cut our spendable income by about $1,000 a year. We have no prospects for recovering that amount in the future, other than returning to work. At age 75, I’m having a hard time finding employment.

Perhaps one of those businesses Gov. Snyder said will use my higher tax payment to create jobs will hire me? I’ll wait for the calls.

(This item was published June 26 in the Kalamazoo Gazette. The Geezer is still waiting for the first job offer.)

4 comments:

schmidleysscribblins,wordpress.com said...

We lost our tax exclusion too here in VA. We once could deduct a fiixed amount from our taxes for each of us over 65. David can still take the deduction, but I do onot qualify. Dianne

Richard Brewer said...

Good letter. It's amazing how much of the far-right agenda is being enacted in many places around the country, and how quickly. I think many of us haven't taken the time to figure out all the different ways we're being injured. What's happening locally makes the impasse in Washington look good. Rick Snyder is not the worst governor, but success of the effort to recall him would still be healthy. But how long will it take before the elderly, the poor, the teachers, the union members, the students, and the middle class in general can regain what they've lost in the past six months?

Kay Dennison said...

From what I hear from Rachel Maddow, your governor is going to be recalled/impeached because he's "the most hated governor in the country!" and that's saying a lot considering his competition for that title from Scott Walker of Wisconsin and John Kasich of Ohio whose re-election chances fall between slim non-existent! :)

Ginnie said...

I agree with Richard ...the far right boasts that they are saving us by "not raising taxes" and yet we're being injured in so many sneaky ways. They won with that lie here in North Carolina and turned down a one cent (!) tax increase which caused us to lose so many of our needed programs ... most of them affecting children and the underprivileged.