Bills signed to steamline tax collection

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed legislation to improve tax collection efficiency.

Senate Bills 322 and 323, sponsored by state Sens. Dave Hildenbrand and John Proos, allow a summertime collection of winter property tax bills totaling $100 or less. The bills now will be due by July 1, cutting administrative costs for local units of government. As an example, Snyder referenced Grand Rapids, which in 2010 alone had nearly 60,000 tax bills for less than $100. Moving these bills to the summer saves the city $10 per bill, for a total savings of nearly $600,000.

“This is common-sense government reform,” Snyder said. “Reducing the administrative burden on local governments saves time and money.”

The bills now are Public Acts 184 and 185 of 2012.

The governor also signed five other bills.

S.B.s 721 and 722, sponsored by state Sens. Rick Jones and Jim Marleau, deter the theft of plastic bulk merchandise containers by requiring identification for a sale of 10 or more containers at a recycling shop and creating misdemeanor penalties for violators. The containers – used by soft drink, bread and other manufacturers and distributors – often are stolen and sold to plastic recyclers. The bills now are P.A.s 186 and 187.

S.B. 930, sponsored by state Sen. Roger Kahn, requires the use of digital information stamps on cigarettes, harnessing new technology to allow for better enforcement of the sale and distribution of tobacco products in Michigan. Since only a few months remain in the current fiscal year, the governor used a line item veto to remove a 2011-12 one-time $6 million appropriation. The bill now is P.A. 188.

S.B. 1077, sponsored by state Sen. Tom Casperson, expands existing law to allow a wider range of nonprofits to apply for licenses to run charitable bingo games and raffles. The bill now is P.A. 189.

S.B. 1090, also sponsored by Casperson, creates more practical, progressive methods of ensuring contaminated groundwater is not adversely affecting surface water. The bill now is P.A. 190.

House Bill 5573, sponsored by state Rep. Anthony Forlini, eases the requirements for establishing a free public library. Charter townships in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties now will be able to establish a library if the township has been located outside the service range of another library for at least three years, rather than the previous requirement of five years. The bill now is P.A. 191.