Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s $3 billion MI Road Ahead plan seeks to improve Michigan’s roads using funds from the gas tax and a proposed corporate income tax increase from 6% to 7.5% or 8%. Supporters say the investment is critical, with Lance Binoniemi stating, "We are deteriorating at a rate that we can't maintain. That $3 billion a year will make sure that we stop doing that." However, the Michigan Chamber of Commerce opposes the tax hike, as Wendy Block argues, "While we at the Michigan Chamber have long been proponents of finding new revenue sources for the roads, we think the first goal of government needs to be to look within, to look at Michigan's current spending," according to CBS News Detroit.
Governor Whitmer's MI Road Ahead plan proposes a wholesale tax on marijuana, similar to cigarette taxation, projected to generate $470 million, while $1.2 billion would come from gas taxes, ensuring all fuel tax revenue funds Michigan infrastructure improvements. However, Republican lawmakers oppose the tax increases, with Representative Ann Bollin stating, "The problem isn’t revenue, it’s priorities. The money is there. We don’t need higher taxes to fix our roads. We need leadership that respects taxpayers, spends responsibly, and makes roads a priority," as reported by WOODTV.
Michigan's government is split between Republicans and Democrats, making Governor Whitmer's plan dependent on bipartisan support. State Rep. Pat Outman told WZZM13, "It's going to be very, very tough to convince my Republican Caucus that we need to do this with raising taxes." However, since both sides agree Michigan's roads need improvement, a compromise may be possible.
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