By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-995850.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Advocates for senior citizens and retirees say state lawmakers who voted for the new tax on pensions will pay a political price in next year's re-election campaigns - unless they act soon to repeal the law. Michigan Public Radio's Laura Weber has more.
Eric Schneidewind is president of AARP Michigan. He says the pension tax - which is scheduled to take effect on January 1st - is a gift to businesses while it hurts many people who live on fixed incomes.
"These people have little or no ability to adjust in a loss of hundreds or even thousands of dollars of income," he says.
Schneidewind says lawmakers still have time to repeal the pension tax before the end of the year. But because of legislative rules, lawmakers would have to begin voting to repeal the tax early next week in order to keep their scheduled winter break. And a spokesman for the state House Republicans says there are no plans to repeal the law.
Schneidewind says without a repeal the AARP will make sure its members are well aware by next November of who voted for the pension tax.