Petition campaigns typically seek advance approval by the Michigan Board of State Canvassers of 100-word summary language and the format of petitions to avoid legal challenges later. The Axe MI Tax drive has still not submitted its form for pre-approval, and that alone was enough for board chair Mary Ellen Gurewitz, a Democrat, to vote against approving the petition.

“The people who will sign this petition are entitled to know the effects of this proposal,” said attorney Mark Brewer. “This proposal would cut billions of dollars from schools in this state,…It would defund local governments, which are dependent for over 90% of their revenue on property taxes.”

“I don’t think we’ll need to replace it because once property taxes are gone, when there are no more property taxes in the state of Michigan, we will have businesses flocking here, to come here and to do business here and, more importantly, we will have people coming back,” [says Karla Wagner of Axe MI Tax.]

Businesses flocking here? Question: since when have businesses paid property taxes anyway? Okay, since when has big business paid property taxes?