This article appeared in the Lansing State Journal on May 1, 2022. By Eileen Hayes and Frank Houston.

With tax season now behind us and baseball season upon us, it is a good reminder that we all win when we play as a team. But when it comes to how we work together to fund important needs like our schools, roads and building strong communities, some politicians have allowed the wealthy and rich corporations to rig the game – so they sit on the bench while everyday people carry the team.

President Biden’s recently proposed “billionaire tax” recognizes this inequity, and attempts to level the playing field.

Unfortunately, here in Michigan, the debate from many state legislators has been focused on cutting taxes even more for the same wealthy individuals and corporations whose profits have soared during the pandemic. It’s an insult on top of injury when you consider that many of these corporations are the ones contributing to higher prices and rising inflation that hurts Michiganders struggling to make ends meet.

How did we get here? Michigan’s outdated flat income tax – we’re one of only nine states to still use a flat income tax system means billionaires like Betsy DeVos are allowed to get away with contributing a smaller portion of their income than everyday Michiganders to support the services we rely on. The Snyder Administration’s 2011 business tax cut then shifted even more of the tax burden on to working families.