State Rep. Ron Robinson (R-Utica City) issued a statement on Thursday expressing his disappointment in Governor Whitmer’s newly announced road funding plan, emphasizing that it falls short of the plan put together by House Republicans in several different ways. The governor has proposed to heavily increase taxes by raising the corporate income tax rate and creating new taxes on several industries, including retail delivery to fund huge projects such as spending over $250 million to public transit in big cities instead of roads.

“When I heard the executive budget recommendations last week, all I could think to myself was ‘where is this money going to come from?’ Now that I’ve seen her plan, I have some serious concerns.” Robinson said. “Her previous road repair plans have accumulated billions in debt and wasted away a budget surplus without providing additional funding for the local roads that impact people’s daily lives the most. Now, she plans on raising our taxes so she can keep her corporate welfare spending while still matching the amount of road funding proposal from House Republicans. Her refusal to work with the legislature to put together a commonsense, fiscally responsible spending plan is disappointing.”

Robinson is one of only five Republican members on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Local Transportation, the main committee in the Michigan House responsible for deciding how road funding is appropriated. Earlier this term, House Republicans introduced a road funding plan that would dedicate an additional $3.1 billion to road repair without raising taxes. By ending corporate welfare, cutting pork project spending, and dedicating all gas taxes to road repair, the road funding plan achieves this major investment without costing Michigan taxpayers a single extra dollar.

“Michiganders made their priorities crystal clear: stay out of their wallets and make sure our already bloated budget actually improves their lives,” Robinson said. “The budget has increased by nearly $30 billion since 2018, it’s high time that they see a higher return on their tax dollars before we ask them for more. We have the means to make historic investments in road repair funding without taking more money from the hard-working people of Michigan. Let’s work together to do that.”