State Rep. Timmy Beson today voted to advance a broad affordability package aimed at lowering property taxes, reducing utility costs, and making it easier for families to afford and keep a home in Michigan.

“Families are stretched thin right now,” said Beson (R-Bay City). “The cost of groceries, energy bills, insurance, and just about everything else keeps going up while paychecks are not keeping pace. People are tired of watching Lansing spend more while they fall further behind. This plan is about giving some relief back to the people paying the bills.”

The plan would:

• eliminate the state portion of property taxes
• roll back utility rates by $1 billion statewide, effectively wiping out the last three years of rate increases
• eliminate the real estate transfer tax, saving homebuyers thousands of dollars in closing costs
• repeal the “pop-up tax,” which dramatically increases property taxes when a home changes ownership
• eliminate the remaining personal property taxes on business equipment, ending a tax that forces business owners to keep paying year after year on equipment they already own. In many cases, small business owners end up paying the cost of that equipment one or two times over during its lifespan.

Beson said the plan is designed to provide meaningful savings for homeowners, seniors on fixed incomes, and families trying to buy a home for the first time.

“We cannot keep pricing people out of homeownership and pretending that is normal,” Beson said. “This package takes a serious look at the costs hurting families and works to bring those costs down. It is a step toward making Michigan more affordable and making it easier for people to stay and build a future here.”

Beson added that House Republicans have paired the proposal with broader efforts to cut wasteful spending and prioritize core government services without raising taxes.

The plan now moves to the Senate for consideration.