Tom Barrett accuses opponent of raising taxes, despite voting to raise Michigan gas tax in 2015

GOP congressional candidate Tom Barrett’s campaign has falsely criticized his opponent, Democrat Curtis Hertel, of supporting tax increases in Michigan, despite Barrett himself voting to increase the state’s gas tax in 2015.

On April 15, Barrett signed what he refers to as the “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” and urged Hertel to join him in to “give taxpayers a break.”

On Tax Day, April 15th, I signed @taxreformer‘s Taxpayer Protection Pledge – my commitment to fight for lower taxes for Michiganders. I challenge my opponent, @CurtisHertelJr, to join me. It’s time to reduce spending, lower inflation, and give taxpayers a break. pic.twitter.com/gomGwTke5n

— Tom Barrett (@tombarrettmi7) April 18, 2024

In response to Hertel calling for middle class tax cuts, Barrett’s campaign strategist Jason Roe falsely told Michigan Advance that Hertel “has a long and distinguished record supporting higher taxes for Michiganders.”

“This is nothing but an election year gimmick trying to fool voters and hide his record,” Roe continued. “He [Hertel] supported a $0.45 per gallon increase on the gas tax as well as increases in property taxes, and income taxes. He is a tax raiser, and there’s no way to hide it.”

Barrett himself voted to raise Michigan’s gas tax nearly a decade ago. Barrett and 53 other Republican state representatives passed House Bill 4738 in 2015, which increased the gas tax from 19 cents per gallon to 26.3 cents in 2017. The bill also set an automatic increase to the gas tax based in inflation starting in 2022.

This bill, along with another that raised vehicle registration fees by 20%, passed in both of the Republican-controlled state legislative chambers and were signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Snyder (R). Hertel, who was serving in the Michigan state Senate at the time, voted no for both bills along with most other Democrats. Before the inflation increases went into effect, Michigan had the 10^th-highest tax rate on fuel, according to data from the American Petroleum Institute.

Also in 2015, Barrett joined his Republican colleagues in an effort to repeal Michigan’s earned income tax credit by voting for House Bill 4609. Although this effort was unsuccessful, it would have negatively impacted millions of Michiganders. According to the Michigan League for Public Policy, 738,380 families received economic benefits from the earned income tax credit in 2019 alone.

Barrett is seeking Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District seat for the second cycle in a row. In 2022, Barrett failed to flip the seat for the GOP when he ran against Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D) in one of the most competitive races that year. Barrett and Hertel are currently running unopposed in Michigan’s Aug. 6 primary elections, so they are almost guaranteed to face each other in the November general election.