As families across our community grapple with the rising cost of living, finding effective ways to keep more money in your pocket has never been more important. Whether it is the price of groceries or the cost of insurance, inflation is eating away at family budgets. That is why I made meaningful tax relief a top priority in our new state budget. The victories we fought for and won are going to be a complete game changer for working families, seniors, and parents throughout Michigan.

We started by targeting burdens on our service industry. By ending the state tax on tips, up to 300,000 Michiganders will now keep an average of $400 more annually. When combined with President Trump’s federal tax cuts, that puts $1,500 back into the pockets of waitstaff and bartenders who work tirelessly. We also eliminated the state tax on overtime pay. This crucial move saves nearly 500,000 workers an average of $500 a year on their state returns. If you are willing to put in extra hours away from your family to support them, you deserve to keep the fruit of that labor. Combined with federal savings, that is $2,000 a year for our workers.

Our seniors also deserve financial peace of mind after a lifetime of work. We successfully eliminated state taxes on Social Security, saving eligible retirees $500 annually. Furthermore, our continued rollback of the Retirement Tax ensures that 500,000 seniors keep an extra $1,000 every year. That money belongs in your monthly budget rather than in Lansing’s coffers. 

Finally, we strengthened the Working Families Tax Credit to deliver an average refund of over $3,800 to more than 650,000 families. These reforms are about putting people first, and I’m proud to deliver real relief that respects your hard work.