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Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist pushes lawmakers to pass tax holiday on school supplies

Posted at 8:40 AM, Aug 27, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-27 08:40:37-04

LANSING, Mich. — The Legislature is on their summer recess but Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist III is calling on lawmakers to return to Lansing and pass a tax holiday on school supplies. It’s an effort to reduce back to school costs that has just languished.

“We need the legislature to meet us at the table that we are already sitting at ready to negotiate to get this done and get it done quickly for Michigan families," said Gilchrist.

The move would temporarily remove Michigan’s 6 percent sales tax on school supplies.

“All total, we estimate this going to save Michiganders about $38 million. And that's a lot of money at a time when things are so expensive," he said.

Although the temporary relief would be welcome to Michiganders who are gearing up for the new school year, opponents of the legislation, like Republican candidate for governor Tudor Dixon, call the move "too little too late."

Despite the push from the lieutenant governor, the legislation is unlikely to pass unless lawmakers cut their summer recess short.