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Senate Leaders: Sales Tax Increase For Roads “Very Unlikely” To Be On November Ballot

A plan to improve Michigan’s roads and infrastructure will probably not be on the November ballot.

That’s according to leaders of both parties in the state Senate.

We have more from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Jake Neher.

Governor Rick Snyder wants the state Legislature to boost road funding by more than a billion dollars a year. But lawmakers have not embraced his plan to raise registration fees and the state’s gas tax to pay for it.

Instead, multiple plans have surfaced that would include asking voters to increase the state’s sales tax.

But Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville says there’s probably not enough time to get a plan on the November ballot.

“The sooner we fix the problem, the sooner we talk about it, the better,” he says.  “But I want to make sure we do it right because, again, this is a really big decision.”

Richardville says it’s more likely voters could be asked to raise the sales tax in May or August of next year.

Jake Neher is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He covers the State Legislature and other political events in Lansing.
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