Trending
To the Journal editor:
A recent large political postcard reminded me of something I learned many years ago in a statistics course. The statistic you get depends on the facts you use.
The particular postcard was from the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. It purports to list items where State Rep. Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton, has increased our costs of living. The item that stood out was increasing the Michigan gas tax by 64 percent, hard to believe. But apparently he did vote yes on a bill, in a package of bills, that raised the state gas tax from 31 cents a gallon to 51 cents a gallon effective Jan. 1, 2026, an increase of about 64 percent. (Caveat, the tax is adjusted based on an inflation formula, so it is currently 52 cents.)
However, the calculation only used the fact that would give the desired statistic. There was a group of bills passed that changed how much total state taxes we pay on a gallon of gasoline. For many years through 2025, we paid a State gas tax and a state sales tax on each gallon. In October 2025, the state gas tax was 31 cents and a 6 percent state sales tax, about 18 to 21 cents (depending on pump price).
The group of bills also eliminated the state sales tax on gasoline. So under the current law, we are paying 52 cents per gallon for total state taxes per gallon of gas. Had the law not been changed, we would be paying a 31 cent gas tax and a sales tax of 21 cents or more (depending the pump price) i.e. the same or more than the taxes in effect in 2025.
Using all the facts it appears his vote has not raised our cost, and may have helped us save some money each time we put gas in our cars.
Another item not included on the postcard is the fact that the package of bills also passed the Democratically controlled (20 to 18) Michigan Senate. The package of bills was then signed into law in October 2025 by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Thus, it seems Democrats deserve some blame for raising the state gas tax.
No matter which party, candidate, or PAC sends a card, or pays for an ad, keep in mind the information may not be the whole truth. But it could be very misleading.