A Northern Michigan propane company owner, Mark Fischer, 61, of Wellston, faces charges for the alleged retention of sales tax collected from customers, spanning five years. According to a news report from MLive.com, he was arraigned last Friday before Magistrate Laura Millmore of 54A District Court in Lansing.
Fischer, along with his business Fischer LPG, Inc., has been charged with five counts of failure to file a tax return, each count holding a potential sentence of up to five years. The propane company serves areas across 19 counties in West Michigan and the northern Lower Peninsula, including offices in Wellston, Baldwin, Free Soil, Marion, Hesperia, and Kingsley. According to the MLive.com report, he allegedly neglected to report or remit sales tax from 2019 through 2023, a detail unveiled by the Michigan Department of Treasury, which then referred the case to the AG's office.
In a statement issued regarding the case, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, "Michiganders pay sales tax to support our schools and our local governments, and attempts to withhold that money undermine the public services we all rely on." Found within the charges is the implication of an infringement upon the trust between the taxpayer and the state, a sensitive thread in the communal fabric that binds the citizenry to the governance meant to reflect its interests, according to the Department of Attorney General.
Both Fischer and his company are slated for a probable cause conference on Friday, December 12, as detailed by the same press release. The conference will be before Judge Anthony Flores in the 54A District Court, where the veracity of the charges will be preliminarily assessed. "My office will continue to work with the Michigan Department of Treasury to ensure those who violate our tax laws are held accountable," Nessel said, assuring the public of her office's vigilance in such legal matters.
