Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Budget Watchdog: Debt Burden In Michigan Now $25,300 Per Taxpayer
Capitol Confidential ^ | 2/2/2014 | Jarrett Skorup

Posted on 02/04/2014 10:28:19 AM PST by MichCapCon

Much has been said recently about student college debt, now averaging nearly $30,000 per pupil nationally. But that’s not the only debt being carried around.

Total debt to taxpayers has also been skyrocketing in recent years.

The liabilities of state governments, largely driven by underfunded pension and retiree health care costs, have been accumulating rapidly. According to the State Data Lab produced by the Chicago-based Truth in Accounting, Michigan has the fifth highest amount of debt per person when considering student loans and taxpayer burden.

Michigan per-taxpayer burden, 2009-2012 "Students should be told the truth about debt states are accumulating for them to pay, just as the amount of their college loans is disclosed to them," said Donna Rook, president of StateDataLab.org at Truth in Accounting.

Truth in Accounting calculates available Michigan assets at $22.7 billion (without restricted and capital assets), and liabilities (without capital liabilities) at $97.7 billion, meaning each taxpayer has a financial burden of $25,300. College graduates in Michigan have an average student debt of $28,840. The state's taxpayer financial burden was $15,800 per tax paying citizen in 2009.

When adding up liabilities, Truth in Accounting considers all assets (cash, investments, and money in fund accounts) and total bills ("liabilities disclosed in a state's financial report such as accounts payable, bonded indebtedness (bonds), and pension and Other Post-Employment Benefit (OPEB) obligations found in the state's and its retirement systems’ Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFRs)”). Note: The Supreme Court has ruled that OPEB obligations can be altered.

The states with the highest debt burden are Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Hawaii and Michigan. There are seven states with a taxpayer surplus (where assets are greater than liabilities): Alaska, Wyoming, North Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, Tennessee and South Dakota.


TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: debt

1 posted on 02/04/2014 10:28:20 AM PST by MichCapCon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MichCapCon

MT may get right with the peeps soon.

2 posted on 02/04/2014 10:31:31 AM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MichCapCon
MI? Not so much:


3 posted on 02/04/2014 10:32:22 AM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2

There are probably as many taxpayer funded jobs in Michigan as there are people in Montana.


4 posted on 02/04/2014 10:34:39 AM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: MichCapCon

You left out the subtitle: Budget Burden $0 for Non-taxpayers.


5 posted on 02/04/2014 10:38:04 AM PST by MIchaelTArchangel (Have a wonderful day!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek

I think Wyo. is the best represented State in the House, Mont. the worst.


6 posted on 02/04/2014 10:40:12 AM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: MichCapCon

Won’t be moving there.

I think it is great that states continue to have the freedom to roll up debt by overpaying its govt employees, forcing unions onto its companies and rolling out the welfare wagon.

They have that right.

I do not have an abligation to have to pay for their profligate activities.

Michigan’s productive citizens are welcome in Texas.


7 posted on 02/04/2014 10:41:51 AM PST by bestintxas (Every time a RINO bites the dust a founding father gets his wings.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2

Thanks to all of the Cali refugees in Montana it is going to be along road to sanity for Montana.


8 posted on 02/04/2014 10:46:54 AM PST by WMarshal (Free citizen, never a subject or a civilian)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: bestintxas

Fortunately for us it isn’t the productive people leaving Michigan these days. In fact there have been a couple of Texas tech companies that have opened shop here in recent months.


9 posted on 02/04/2014 10:59:19 AM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: cripplecreek

that is good to here

maybe the vagrants are assimilating in CA


10 posted on 02/04/2014 11:58:55 AM PST by bestintxas (Every time a RINO bites the dust a founding father gets his wings.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson