Services

Recently, to address budget problems, Michigan lawmakers agreed to expand the sales tax base to include many more types of services (see prior post). Big surprise - taxpayers and service providers did not like the change - a $725 million tax increase (see story in The Detroit News, 11/1/07)

On 12/1/07, the effective date of the expanded tax, Governor Granholm signed HB 5408 (PA 145) to repeal the tax on services. That expected sales tax revenue will be replaced with a business tax surcharge.

There are many good reasons for having a sales tax cover all types of personal consumption rather than just tangible personal property (see prior post). However, change is difficult. Expanding the sales tax base to include more types of services means that businesses, such as nail salons and child care facilities, who have not collected sales tax before and not had to file returns, now have to.

How might the Michigan sales tax expansion to services have been done in a way that might have reduced the desire to immediately repeal it?

Michigan enacted changes to its sales tax that expands it to cover 23 additional services starting 12/1/07 (HB 5198 signed 10/2/07). The services now subject to sales tax include: